Metamorphosis
by Jagged Hearts
Summary: Sometimes it takes more than a drink and words to feel better. Sometimes it takes a slap across the face. Sometimes it just takes a friend. When Tony finds himself hitting a low point, he figures out that he needs exactly just that. This someone, however, doesn't play nice with his usual antics and isn't afraid to show him. TonyXOC Just because I feel like there aren't enough!
1. Now Hiring

Hi everyone! So this is my first story I'm ever posting here and I hope you readers enjoy it. I was inspired by a fellow fanfiction user here, Belle of Roses, so I have to thank her! Oh, and if you are a fan of The Dark Knight Rises and John Blake, check her story out! It's going to be good!

This is a Tony story just because he's one of my favorite characters and I felt like there just weren't enough about him haha XD If you have something to say definitely feel free to leave a review or even a message! I'm a pretty friendly person and I'm open to any advice or critiquing you guys want to give me, just as long as you're nice about it!

Well, I hope you guys like it ^_^ On with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or any of the characters!

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**Metamorphosis**

Tony Stark had never been one to admit that he was shattered. He didn't deal with emotions; it just wasn't his forte. So he always did the same thing whenever he found that he was losing himself and drowning in the pain he called life.

He ignored it.

That was exactly what he was going to do now that he and Pepper had ended their relationship.

The billionaire had seen it coming from the moment the two had officially gotten together. He had tried to be good to Virginia, he really did. For a while, it had seemed as though things were working well for them, but as the days passed, even months, Tony found himself constantly pushing the red head away. It was in his nature to push people away, especially those he cared for. It was like second nature to him and even though Pepper had tried her best to make their plummeting love stick, at the end, she grew tired of trying to put the ashes back together.

Pepper was precious to Tony. He had truly loved her, but that was the exact reason why they had to break up. He refused to be the reason why Pepper would lose herself and die inside. That was what Tony did. He killed the good in everyone, maybe it was because the good in him had died years ago. He wasn't sure. The only thing he was sure of was the fact that Pepper was truly one of the most amazing people he'd ever known and she deserved the best. She deserved someone who brought the best out in her, and though she had brought the best out in him, Tony could never and would never bring the best out in her.

So, the two talked and ended things on a good note, though scars had been left and memories would always haunt the two of them. And that was when Tony's binge drinking began.

At first, no one dared to approach the Iron Man. Though he pretended he was as cold as his suit of armor, Tony was much more fragile than that. He was lucky to have such understanding roommates though. The members of the Avengers Initiative began to reside in the Stark Tower-which was now the Avengers Tower-a few months after the attack on Earth from other worldly creatures.

Each member received a floor, which was designed specifically to meet their individual tastes. Even Thor had received his own floor, and though he rarely visited Earth, when he did he always had people waiting for him. Besides Tony, the only person who was a day-to-day resident of the tower was Bruce, who also had a lab of his own just in case he and Tony had interest on something separate. After that was Steve. He spent most of his time in the tower and was thankful for Tony adjusting his personal floor to a more "old-fashioned" sort of style. When he wasn't with the other two heroes at the tower, he spent a lot of time in Brooklyn, exploring and reliving his past and living in his futuristic present.

As for the two assassins, Hawkeye found himself spending more time at the Avengers HQ than Blackwidow. He, of course, was given the floor at the top due to his like in heights. He was surprised Tony had been so thoughtful; then again, Tony did always surprise people. And even though he refused to admit he had been slightly traumatized by the events with Loki, Fury had been understanding enough to give him longer breaks between missions so he could mentally recover from the mind control he had been put under.

He was secretly happy about that.

Natasha rarely appeared at the tower, but when she did it really did feel like a whole family had been reunited. She was never used to having only one place as a living space, but after everything she had been through in her entire life, the tower became a stable and warm place to go back to. She'd never tell the others that though; the boys would give her too much for that.

Tony had been _unlucky_ enough to have almost all the Avengers present when the breakup had happened, so there was no getting around letting the others know. The four had been respectful enough to give the genius space when it first happened. They knew how Tony functioned after working with him for as long as they had. A week had passed and then two and when the third week passed, Bruce had tried to reach out to the man behind iron. He had failed miserably, getting locked out of the lab after his first attempt. So began the many failed tries to get Tony back on a regular eating and sleeping schedule.

Each of the heroes had tried but to no avail. It wasn't until Steve forced his way into the lab with his strength, promising he would help piece the metal door back into its hinges. At first, the two stood in silence, Tony avoiding his gaze and pretending he wasn't there and Steven letting his existence go unnoticed. After ten minutes, the captain finally spoke up, telling him about the time his mother had died. He explained in detail just how he felt and how he had cried for days and how he had felt like his world had crumbled completely beneath his feet. Then he went on to say he knew Tony knew how he felt because Tony too had lost his family tragically.

The two had stood in a stiff silence for a moment as Tony pondered on what Steve was trying to get across. His thoughts were left unfinished as the man of America spoke, "You know, Tony…You and I, we've never really seen eye-to-eye on everything."

Had the engineer been in a better mood, he would have replied back with a snarky sort of reply; he just had no fight left in him.

"We've always done things a little differently and we clash _a lot,_" Steve chuckled as he shook his head, staring at the back of Tony's head.

"…Didn't know you had such _great_ observational skills, Cap," Tony finally said, finding himself growing tired with Steve's story. "If that's all you came down here to do then-"

"It's not," Steven quickly stated; he was refusing to let Tony push him away. "Just let me finish, Tony." The tone in his voice was gentle and pleading, something Tony didn't usually hear when Captain America was talking to him.

"…Although we're almost completely opposite in every way that I-or any other person that knows us-can think of, in some ways…we really aren't so different." Tony's hands had balled up into fists at that point as Steve took a step forward, toward the genius. "You and I both know exactly how it feels to lose the most important things in life…" Steve had never been open about his past, and although he wasn't sharing anything specific with Tony, the man of iron found himself understanding his counterpart just slightly more than he had before.

"You and I know how it feels to lose everything that matters to us." The words packed a punch, so much that if felt like Tony had just been hit in the chest with a shovel. He hadn't thought someone like Steve could feel what he felt so well. Then again, Steve truly had lost everything that mattered to him, just like Tony.

"The only thing is…" Steve frowned a bit before continuing, "You don't know how to let go and move on."

After that, the two stood in a pregnant pause before Steve stated that his dinner would be ready in 15 minutes. Tony didn't reply though, he merely closed his eyes as he felt a gentle hand give his shoulder an assuring squeeze before Steve's footsteps began to disappear up the stairs, the sound of glass crunching underneath his boots making the genius smile weakly and shake his head.

Tony didn't cry. He merely had a sudden onslaught of allergies that just suddenly started to kick his ass and make his eyes water; that was the story he was going to stick with until his last breath. Like promised, a fresh plate of lasagna and mashed potatoes had been placed neatly on the island counter, a cup of water placed beside it. He was glad that it had been Steve who had offered him food; the man was the only one who knew how to cook a meal that wouldn't poison anyone.

After the first couple bites of his food, a small stack of crossword puzzles from the newspaper was placed in front of him, Clint walking around the counter and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. He had received a confused look from Tony before he shrugged and stated that he knew how much the genius liked doing them, though he wasn't sure why since he always solved them with such ease. Then, with a tiny smile, he gave the man a nod and walked out of the kitchen without another word. Tony was thankful the archer hadn't said much. He was also thankful to know that the man cared.

Once he devoured his meal completely and rehydrated himself with water instead of Bourbon, he drowsily trotted to his room where he barely managed to get his shoes off before he collapsed on to his bed and fell into a dreamless sleep. He was happy for the lack of dreams because that meant his entire mind was finally at rest. It meant he would actually get a full night's sleep, which was exactly what he needed.

Awaking the next morning, Tony was confused at how he had been neatly tucked into his bed and then caught the faint smell of mint. That was how he knew Natasha had stopped in. It was a vague memory but he thought she was to be sent off on a mission that day, so he knew she must have crept in while he had been passed completely out.

He was grateful for the people that were the closest things to friends that he had.

Scratch that.

Family.

Tony released a refreshed yawn as he stretched and stood to his feet, making his way to the bathroom to finally wash the oil and dirt from his body that had cultivated during the time he had locked himself in his lab. After, he changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a Black Sabbath shirt and made his way to the "recreational floor" as JARVIS called it, which was the floor shared by all of the Avengers. He made his way to the kitchen, a pot of coffee already in the making thanks to his handy A.I.

"I see the beast has risen from his cave."

Tony glanced over his shoulder as he smirked at his fellow scientist who was making his way towards the counter, taking a seat on the stool. He grabbed another mug out, pouring Banner and himself a glass of coffee. The gamma ray specialist nodded thanks as Tony took a swig of his drink. "I get slightly claustrophobic when I'm in there for too long," he replied back with a wily tone in his voice.

Bruce smiled at that. "Good to have you back," he said gently as Tony nodded and smiled slightly.

"So, I hear Pepper's been looking for a new assistant for you?" It had been the first time anyone had talked about her, let alone mentioned her name, but Tony was glad for it. If he was going to at least try and move on, he was going to have to face the end of what could have been one step at a time.

Since Pepper had been promoted to Tony's CEO, she began to work more with the company itself, though she basically continued on with her work with Tony, making sure that his days were in order and he was taken care of. The two knew once the breakup happened that that could no longer go on. So, Tony agreed to let Pepper find him a new assistant and then she'd start focusing completely on the company.

"Yeah. I'm curious as to what this one'll be like." Bruce scoffed with a smirk as he nodded.

"That makes two of us. She's in for it."

"Hey," Tony snapped, though there was no bite to it. "I'm not _too_ bad."

Bruce shook his head as he smirked, opening the paper for the day. "So you say."

* * *

Virginia Potts dealt with stress well. Hell, she'd worked for Tony for far too long to _not_ know how. Still, she was dealing with her broken relationship with her former boss worse than she thought she would. She refused to let that stop her from focusing on her work and her goals though. Tony still meant the world to her and she wasn't going to let the break up change that. She'd march on and keep smiling because at the very end of the day, that was just who she was.

Pepper had been travelling across the U.S. so she could promote Stark Industries' newest creation; clean energy. She started her work in New York and began to move her way to the west coast. She'd end in California-where it all started-and then she'd spend a few days there to relax. During the time she travelled, she was supposed to find a new assistant, which stung Pepper the most. It made her breakup all too real, but what's done was done. Finding Tony a new assistant had been her idea, she just wished there wasn't a reason for her to.

Sitting in her hotel suite in Chicago, Pepper looked through resumes and papers. She stared at the 12 point font for a few minutes before she released a stress-filled yelp and pulled her phone out to call Happy. He appeared at the front of the hotel within seconds, which pleased Pepper very much, and he immediately drove the strawberry blonde to the nearest coffee shop. When the car stopped, the CEO found herself in front of a small, cozy café and she smiled to herself.

Walking in, Pepper found a bit of a lengthy line waiting for her but she was more than glad to wait so she could order herself a cappuccino; she had the patience for it anyways. She flipped through a few more resumes for Tony before she shook her head. Tony was a specific case, she really wasn't sure if she was going to find the…_right_ _match_ for the billionaire.

Sighing, Pepper glanced to her right where she caught sight of a few teenage boys aiming spit balls at random people that walked in through the door. She rolled her eyes as they snickered but before the mother in her could react, she watched as a copper blonde approached the boys. She wore a hat with the shop logo on it, her hair pulled up in a low pony tail as she narrowed her jade eyes at them. She slammed her hand on to the table, causing the boys to jump slightly as they looked up at her.

"I see you little gremlins haven't bought a single thing." Pepper blinked as she watched the barista handle the situation. "Pretty sure you boys have all passed the first grade or are all smart enough to read the sign we have." The woman pointed at the tiny sign in the corner of the window saying 'no loitering' before she smiled dryly at the five teens. "So, unless you plan on actually buying something, you're going to have to get. Out."

The boys quickly stood to their feet as they mumbled under their breaths and rushed out the door, the bell ringing as the door swung open and shut. Pepper stared at the blonde for a moment as she watched the woman dust her hands off and smirk at her work. The CEO blinked before a wide smile approached her lips. She approached the barista with confidence and watched as the unsuspecting woman turned to her and blinked.

"Hi there," Pepper began. "I was wondering if you had a minute to talk?"

"O-Of course!" Clearly, she knew exactly who Pepper was.

"I'm Virginia Potts."

"I know exactly who you are!" the woman said with a smile as the two shook hands. "You're CEO of Stark Industries and girlfriend to Tony Stark." Pepper tried not to wince at the last half of the statement.

"Yes to the first, no to the second." The color from the blonde's face drained away as her hand fell limply to her side. She gapped for a second before she cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably.

"I am so sorry. I-I didn't know."

Pepper smiled at that; thankfully, she wasn't such an awkward person. "No worries-um?"

"Oh, Silver. People just call me Silver."

"Silver, I was actually wondering if you were interested in taking a job in New York?"

"New York?" Silver blinked before a timid smile appeared across her lips. "What's the job?"  
That was a good sign, right?

Pepper smirked slightly. "Have you ever babysat before?"

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So, there you have it! My very first chapter! Let me know what you think! =)


	2. Welcome to the Big Apple

Hi readers! Here is the next chapter for this story. I've been working really hard so I hope it shows and you guys enjoy reading this! I also wanted to thank those of you who reviewed! I appreciate you guys taking the time to say something! =)

Now, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or the characters associated with the movie

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Silver would be lying if she said she wasn't incredibly nervous.

It had been two weeks since she had last talked to Pepper Potts and had hesitantly accepted her new job as _the _Tony Stark's new assistant. The offer had been very sudden and unpredicted, but the 29-year-old had taken the job for a few reasons. She could use the job experience and the change of scenery. She had nothing holding her back to Chicago-as much as she loved her city-and she felt it was time to move on to better things. Pepper had informed her of all the changes she would have to go through concerning her lifestyle. If she were to take the job she would not only be an assistant to a business billionaire but she'd also be assistant to a member of the Avengers, the team that had saved the world from aliens just months before. She was informed about S.H.I.E.L.D. and the part they would end up playing in her life, which was a big one she had discovered. Though there had been a lot for her to absorb, Silver already knew her answer. She packed up all of her valuables and jumped on the plane Pepper had sent for her that would take her to her new home.

Manhattan, New York.

Silver stared out the window of the jet that had been sent to pick her up. She smiled to herself as she shook her head and took a sip of the water cup she had in her hand. She glanced at the few men dressed in black suits as they sat almost motionlessly, not even acknowledging her existence. She was alright with that though. She'd rather not try and make small talk; she was too anxious for that.

Actually, she was a bit more curious at the moment.

The entire world knew of Tony and Pepper's relationship. If it wasn't from the couple, random people would start rumors and they caught on with ease, spreading like a wildfire. People were rather surprised that the two had lasted as long as they had, especially since Tony was notorious for his playboy habits, but there was clearly something in Pepper that had been different; Silver was just wondering what had changed. Not that it was any of her business. She actually felt bad for the two. There was no such thing as privacy for the famous, and Tony Stark was _definitely_ famous.

The plane landed smoothly and soon Silver was off, smoothing her gray, knee-length pencil skirt and white blouse out. She squinted through the sunlight of the afternoon as she watched a man with much darker skin than her own approach her with a welcoming and business-like smile across his lips. He held his hand out to her as she took it in her own and shook it firmly.

"My name's James Rhodes. I'm here to escort you to your new home," he explained as the copper blonde glanced around the several FBI looking men around her that stood the perimeter of the landing site. Rhodes chuckled as he motioned for Silver to follow.

"It's just a precautionary thing. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s very efficient with their work."

"So I see," Silver replied back playfully as she watched a black SUV drive up and stop in front of them. She smiled and nodded thanks as James opened the back door for her and followed inside after her. As the car began to drive down the street and meld with the other cars in the highway, the new citizen of New York couldn't help but stare out the window like a child at a toy store.

"Is this your first time in New York?" James asked curiously as Silver glanced at him and nodded.

"I've lived my whole life in Chicago, so I mean, it's not all that different, but definitely in size it sure is," she stated with a chuckle as her companion nodded and released his own chuckle.

"You'll get used to it. And anyways, you'll probably end up being too busy to even notice much about the city." Silver knew that. Tony was a business man _and _a superhero, which meant he was going to be busy, which meant that in turn, _she_ was going to be busy.

She hadn't quite mentally prepared herself for that.

"So, where exactly are we headed?" the blonde inquired as James smirked slightly.

"The Avengers Tower." Silver's emerald eyes widened slightly as she felt her jaw slightly fall open. "That's where you'll most likely reside while you work under Tony."

Everything was so surreal to Silver. She would have never guessed that the famous tower would become her probable new home. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing because as the car drove longer, the more excited and nervous she got. She wasn't sure how well she was going to do. Was she going to end up actually meeting the Avengers? Would they like her? Would Tony even like her?

Taking a deep breath, Silver relaxed and sighed as she leaned against the leather of the SUV backseat. She stared at out the window for the duration of the car ride before her breath got caught in the back of her throat. She blinked a few times and sat up tall as she stared up at the highest skyscraper of the city. Its shadow loomed over a few other buildings and the street, its presence definitely standing out to everyone.

"Welcome to the Avengers Tower." James watched as Silver gapped at the building, which had been finished with its rebuilding period after Loki's attack on Manhattan. He watched as the blonde cleared her throat and smiled, nodding her head as she straightened up. He then turned to the driver of the window, who was of course a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and mumbled something to him.

Silver watched as the window to James' seat and the driver's seat rolled down and the two faced out completely, a camera suddenly appearing in front of their faces. "Welcome, Sir." The unsuspecting woman jumped as she pointed at the thin air.

"Wh-Who said that?"

"I believe you are referring to me, ma'am." Once again, Silver was shocked.

"This is JARVIS," Rhodes explained as he chuckled at the woman's reaction. "He's Tony's personal A.I."

"As in Artificial Intelligence?"

"That's correct," the accented voice stated. Silver released a short, astonished laugh as she shook her head.

"He works Tony's entire system, including his security." James added, "Which means we're going to have to download you into the system so JARVIS can let you in and out without trouble."

"Ms. Potts has already copied Ms. Livingston's information into the mainframe, sir," JARVIS stated as Silver blinked, the SUV making its way up the ramp.

"Glad to know Pepper has everything together."

"She seems really good at this," Silver commented. She hesitantly continued as she locked eyes with James. "So why is she trying to find someone else to do a job she can do so perfectly?" The military man blinked before his eyes softened. He sighed as he shook his head and for a second, Silver had almost regretted asking. Perhaps she had pushed too far.

"I think you'll find out why soon enough," James merely stated as he chuckled and shook his head. Silver blinked, not having expected that answer, before she watched James step out of the now motionless car. She quickly followed suit, the small heel of her flats clicking against the cement of the garage.

"Where shall I leave you, sir?" JARVIS asked, surprising Silver once again. She sighed and shook her head; she was going to have to try and get used to that somehow.

"Where's Pepper?" Rhodes asked curiously.

"The recreational floor, I believe."

"Take us there then."

"Right away."

The elevator was ridden up in a comfortable silence as Silver tried to calm her nerves. She talked herself through the ride, telling herself to keep calm if she saw any of the super heroes; the last thing she wanted to do was come off as a teenage girl at her first concert. Still, she couldn't help but feel _giddy_ inside. God, she hated that word.

The car came to a smooth stop, the doors sliding open and revealing an illuminated room. The sun shined through the windows that made up the entire wall, the city's skyline coming into view. The room was modern looking, set up with a sitting room and a large flat screen. There was a hall right beside the wall with the TV screen, a few rooms residing in the corridor. Then across the sitting room was the kitchen, all counters and appliances set up neatly where they seemed to belong. Across the kitchen was a dining table, big enough to fit at least eight people. Everything was elegant, yet there was somehow a touch of character to everything.

"You're here!" Silver blinked as she looked over and watched Pepper stand up from the table, blackberry in hand. She smiled widely and watched as what seemed to be two good friends hugged tightly, warm smiles on their faces.

"Good to see you," James said as Pepper nodded, the two releasing each other and smiling at each other.

"You too," Pepper said softly. Silver's eyes softened as she watched a solemn gleam appeared in the strawberry blonde's eyes, like she had lost something.

Silver had a feeling she knew what it was.

Pepper cleared her throat as she turned to Silver as she opened her arms, welcoming the 29-year-old into the embrace like they had been friends for years. "How was your flight?"

"Good! Slightly jet lagged, but good," Silver said as she hugged her employer back and sighed.

"So, where's Tony?" James asked as Pepper rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Late, like always," she stated as the dark skinned man chuckled.

"Not surprised there."

"Oh, this is for you." Silver looked over and stared down at the folder Pepper was holding out to her. "It's just basic information about Tony that you'll end up needing. If you need to know something about him or have any questions and can't get a hold of me, just look at this folder. This is also the personal phone he'll use to contact you." The copper blonde blinked, slightly surprised that she was getting another phone for the occasion.

"He's going to be calling you on this a lot. Don't be surprised if it's for ridiculous errands-"

"Hey! I resent that." The three in the kitchen turned and watched as an oil smudged man made his way out from the elevator. He wiped his hands on his jeans as he stood beside James, who smiled at his friend.

"See you've been working again."

Silver wasn't sure what she had been expecting from Tony Stark. She had seen the man in many news stories and articles, she had even watched a few of his televised conferences, but standing before the man now, something was different. He was still devilishly handsome, much more in person even, and he was a fit man for his age, mid-thirties maybe? Something was missing though. She couldn't quite name it.

"Most of my requests are always necessary."

"Don't kid yourself, Stark."

"Who invited you anyways, Rhodey?" For a second, it had returned, the spark that had been missing from Tony's face. There was a playful and lively shine in his dark brown eyes that had appeared as he interacted with James. Silver could tell they were close. She could tell by the way her new boss slightly smiled. It seemed real, not like the forced and dramatized expressions he used for the camera.

"Tony, I wanted you up here so you could meet your new assistant." At that, there was a short pause. It was almost unnoticeable, but Silver had been looking for it. She watched as Tony and Pepper's eyes locked together, and she knew that right then and there, whatever had been between Tony and Pepper was done.

"Tony, meet Silver." Immediately, Silver began to straighten up as she smiled and cleared her throat. She tried to hide her fear and anxiety, telling herself to just breathe and try not to trip over her words. The LAST thing she needed to do was make an ass of herself in front of her future boss. She held her hand out to the man as he hesitated but reached out and shook her hand with his. She watched as his eyes roamed down her body and she suddenly found herself feeling extra anxious.

"It's a pleasure meeting you."

"I'm sure it is," Tony shot back. "I know I'm pretty good-looking, but I didn't know I was drop dead, have-a-trail-a-drool-going-down-my-chin good looking."

A light blush appeared across Silver's cheeks as she immediately pulled her hand away from Tony's trying to cover the nonexistent trail of saliva. She blinked a few times after realizing that there actually hadn't been any drool from her lips coming down and she narrowed her eyes at the man, who seemed to be entertained by her quick reaction.

"Tony," Pepper said as she gave him a warning gaze.

"Right, sorry. I'll be good." The billionaire held his hand out once more as he nodded his head. "Tony Stark, your new boss." Silver hesitated before she firmly grabbed ahold of Tony's hand and shook it.

"Silver Livingston."

"Really? Silver? JARVIS, remind me to look at rainbow shades for names of my future kids."

"You've got a couple years to go before that happens." James cut in, saving Silver the trouble of having to deal with the situation. She watched for a second as the two men in the room interacted with each other, sharing witty banter amongst themselves. She glanced over at Pepper and her smile disappeared as the CEO stared at her former boyfriend with a look that was almost heartbreaking. Had Silver felt a bit more comfortable with the situation she would have spoken up, but like the saying goes, some things are better left unsaid.

"So, Silver," Pepper started as she turned to the new P.A. "You'll be staying at the tower with everyone, and trust me, it's not a problem," she stated as if she was reading her mind. "Everyone's really great, so don't worry about them," the CEO said with a smile. Silver smiled back, feeling slightly better. If Pepper thought everyone was nice, then what were the chances she wouldn't? Then again, she dated Tony…

"If you need anything at all, my number is already put into your new phone. I'll be travelling to Europe for some business, but you'll probably have your hands full dealing with Tony."

"You make me sound like a child." Silver looked over and watched as James and her boss tuned back into their conversation.

"Well, maybe if you didn't _act _like a man-child, I wouldn't make you sound like one," Pepper shot back with a playful smile on her face. Tony's eyes softened for a second before he shrugged.

"She's got a point," James added as the genius narrowed his eyes at his long-term friend.

"Who's side are you on?"  
"Don't make me choose."

"Traitor." James gave Tony's shoulder a pat as he shook his head and laughed slightly.

"Now, most of your things are already here, so all you have to do is go through and make sure everything is organized," Pepper said as Silver nodded. "And I know it's a little awkward that we have to give your information to S.H.I.E.L.D.-"  
"I completely get it," Silver assured with a smile. Pepper relaxed as she looked at her replacement. She sighed and nodded as she picked up her purse and nodded.

"Don't worry," Silver said. "I have everything under control."

If only she knew.

Pepper nodded as she smiled, though it was strained. "If you need anything too, don't hesitate to ask Tony. He'll be happy to help, right?" Tony rolled his eyes at that as he nodded his head. Pepper smiled, satisfied enough with his answer.

"Well, duty calls. I need to get out of here," James said as the three looked over at the man.

"Already?"

"Unlike some people, I've actually got to work."

"Hey! Saving the world counts as work!" James chuckled as Tony smirked, the two sharing a warm and friendly handshake.

"You've got to stop by more often. I'll give you a personal tour of the city."

"I'll take you up on that sometime."

"You mind giving me a lift?" Pepper asked as James looked over.

"You sure?"  
"I have a flight I need to catch to the U.K. in a little bit. Do you mind?"

"No problem," James stated with a friendly smile. Pepper smiled back before she turned to Tony. For a moment, they had forgotten anyone else was in the room with them and James and Silver had quickly taken notice to that. The two quickly turned to each other, making their way towards the sitting area and engaging in a conversation so they wouldn't accidentally eaves drop.

The couple that once was stared at each other for a moment before Tony cleared his throat and locked his hands behind his back. "I trust you're keeping my company from drowning?" Pepper rolled her eyes as she chuckled and nodded.

"I think I'm doing a pretty good job."

"That's good."

"…Try to stay out of trouble," the former assistant said, almost pleaded, as she stared at Tony with broken eyes. The brunette found his heart clenching as he stared at her face. It was almost painful for him as he stood before her because at the end of the day, he was the reason she looked so hurt.

He shook the thought off as he shrugged. "I won't make any promises."

Pepper chuckled and sighed as she nodded her head. A more stern expression came over Pepper as her motherly instincts began to kick in. "Don't give Silver any trouble."  
"I won't."

"I'm being serious, Tony." Said man sighed as he nodded his head and motioned for Pepper to get going.

"Don't you have a flight to catch?" Pepper sighed as she shook her head. She turned to leave but stopped. She turned back to Tony, confusing the engineer for a moment. His chocolate brown eyes widened as he felt thin arms wrap around his neck tightly, a frail body pressed softly against his.

"Goodbye." Before Tony could register the embrace, Pepper was already halfway across the room, leaving the man in her dust. His chest felt as if it was being crushed as his body trembled for a moment. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He wished she had given him some sort of sign, then he would have at least tried to memorize every curve of her body, every scent, every touch.

Now it was over.

"Ready to go?" Pepper asked as she approached James and Silver. The military man nodded as they began to make their way to the elevator doors. Silver waved as Pepper looked back at her with a smile. She smiled back at the strawberry blonde and gave her a reassuring nod before Pepper nodded back to her.

"Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone," Rhodey said as Tony smirked and nodded his head.

"Tell that to Fury."

"Alright. I told Silver she'd have a few days to settle in and unpack, so try not to bother her. And if she needs anything try and be helpful. I know Bruce and Steve will probably be here so they'll definitely give her a hand but-"

"Pepper. Breathe," Tony warned as Pepper shook her head and chuckled.

"Right."

"Just…try not to worry about me, alright?" Pepper's eyes widened for a moment before she relaxed and nodded, her eyes falling to the ground. Tony closed his eyes before he collected himself and looked back at his friends. He forced a smile and watched as the doors slid shut, leaving him to stare at his skewed reflection. He stood in a long silence, almost forgetting about the woman still standing in the room with him. He turned and looked over at Silver as she stood by the window, staring out at the city below.

Now was his chance to finally examine his newest assistant.

She was a blonde, though it wasn't the kind of blonde Tony was accustomed to. He was more used to platinum blondes with highlights that made their hair look a bit more dried out, not that he really cared what kind of hair a woman had. Silver's hair was slightly different though, almost faded. And unlike many of the blondes Tony knew, Silver also had dark green eyes instead of blue. She had a toned form and was slightly paler, probably being a good four or five inches shorter than Tony himself.

It wasn't about what she looked like though. Tony could care less about that. He was more curious about what she was like. He wanted to know just how far he could push her, just how far she would be willing to go for this job, for him. There was only one way for Tony to _really _find that out and as he smirked to himself, he was sure he'd find his answer soon enough.

"So, I'm guessing you're going to want to know where you're staying." Tony stated, catching Silver off guard. She turned from the window and smiled politely as she locked her hands behind her back.

"As long as I have a place to stay, I'm not too worried, sir." Tony nodded at that reply as he locked eyes with the woman for a moment. They stared for a second before Tony cleared his throat and turned to make his way to the elevator.

"If you need anything, JARVIS will help you out." Silver had almost forgotten about the A.I. "I'll be in the lab if you really need me."

"Again?" Silver inquired curiously as Tony didn't bother looking back at her.

"Heroes never rest-or something like that," Tony said as he waved over his shoulder. He pressed the down button and waited for the doors to slide open. He turned to Silver for a moment before a small smirk appeared across his lips.

"You know, you've got some big shoes to fill," he called out. "You think you can handle that?" Silver blinked before she hesitantly nodded and smiled.

"I'll do my best."

"We'll see what you're best is, won't we?" The new assistant blinked as she watched Tony step on to the elevator. He smirked as he nodded to the blonde. "Good luck!" And with that, the doors swept shut.

Silver stood silently for a moment as she let everything sink in. She let the last few weeks till that very second replay in her head before she turned and made her way to the window again. She stared for a moment before she closed her eyes and let her forehead lightly fall into the window.

"What did I just get myself into?"


	3. Let the Flames Begin

Here's the next chapter! Thanks for those who reviewed and those who are taking the time to read this! I appreciate it a lot =) Hope you like this.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers or any characters associated with the film/comic

* * *

A few days had passed since Silver's arrival to New York, and she was still trying to adjust to everything happening around her. One day she was working at a café in Chicago, the next she's flying off to Manhattan to work for **THE** Tony Stark.

Let's repeat that.

_Tony Stark_.

Silver sighed as she stood on the 114th floor of the tower, enjoying her second cup of coffee of the afternoon. She had most of her things unpacked and organized but there were a few boxes she needed to pick up, though she was dreading the cab drive there. She shrugged and pushed the thought aside; she was more curious about Tony's whereabouts.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Ms. Livingston?" Silver was still trying to adjust to having an embodied voice pop up every morning as her alarm, but she had time to get used to him…or it.

"Where's Tony?"

"Master Stark is residing in the lab."

"Still?"

"I believe he's been in the lab for a week and four days now," JARVIS stated evenly as Silver frowned. She turned and set her mug on the counter as she began to stare off.

_He's been in the lab for that long? _She shook her head at the thought. _I wonder if he's even slept at all...or showered._

"Good afternoon, Mr. Banner."

Since Silver had arrived at the tower, she had yet to run into any of the Avengers. Thor was still back in Asgard ruling his home, Blackwidow and Hawkeye were coincidentally sent on a mission together-which was of course, confidential. As for Steve, he had been working with Fury in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s actual HQ so his days were long. Bruce was in and out since he had decided to finally go face his past and see a face he hadn't forgotten in Harlem. Things had clearly gone right and since then he had spent a few less hours in the lab.

But, all dogs find their way home.

Tony's new assistant stiffened as she looked down and quickly straightened her t-shirt out, smoothing her jeans out and running her hands through her hair to make sure no knots existed. She felt her heart slam uncontrollably against her chest as she listened to the footsteps tap against the marble floor.

_Relax! _Silver thought as she smiled nervously to herself. _Bruce Banner's just like everyone else…except he's a genius and has the potential strength to level this city…_ Silver was officially panicking.

The copper blonde slowly turned and smiled as she faced the gamma radiation specialist himself. He looked up from his notes and blinked, surprised anyone had been in the kitchen at all. He thought for a short second before he looked up to the ceiling as if he were talking to someone, which in some aspect, he was.

"JARVIS? What day is it?"

"It's Thursday, 4:37 pm. Sir." The A.I. was efficient as always.

"Thanks, buddy," Bruce said as he turned his full attention to Silver and smiled, holding his hand out to the young woman.

"Bruce Banner. It's nice to meet you, Silver." Said woman wasn't surprised he had known who she was, after all he was a genius and he was an Avenger. She was positive all of the Avengers had been informed of her arrival.

"The pleasure is really all mine, Mr. Banner," Silver stated with an even tone in her voice; she was surprised she could pull that off. The scientist smiled as he shook his head and chuckled.

"I'm nothing special, really. Bruce is just fine."

"I wouldn't say that, I mean, you _did_ save Manhattan," Silver said with a smirk as Banner blinked before releasing a laugh.

"Well, when you put it that way." He shook his head and took a seat at the island counter, Silver immediately looking around grabbing a mug for him. He took it and watched as the blonde poured him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," he said as Silver shook her head.

"Not a problem. Seeing as I'm really just a freeloader here, making coffee and food should be something I do without trouble."

"Just wait till you start working."

"What?"

"I said when do you start working?" Bruce would let her discover the trouble with Tony on her own.

"Well, I'm not really sure when I officially start. I'm guessing I have until the end of this week and then I'll be on my way," the 29-year-old stated as Banner nodded.

"And you're all settled in?" he asked; he felt slightly guilty for forgetting the newest addition to the tower was arriving. Silver shook her head as she turned and set her cup in the dishwasher.

"I just have a few boxes I have to pick up from storage and then I have to unpack those. That should be the last of it though," the former Chicagoan said as Bruce thought for a moment.

"…Need a ride?"

* * *

Silver tried to contain her excitement as she sat in the passenger seat of the navy blue corvette she was seated in beside Bruce. She stole glances at the genius ever so often, questioning her sanity. She half-listened as the man talked about the other Avengers, talking about how she'd probably see more of Steve and like Clint, though Natasha was a bit harder to crack.

"I think you'll end up fitting right in with all of us," Banner said reassuring, which made Silver feel a bit better about the situation. She sighed and stared out the window for a moment before a question appeared in her head.

"…This might be a little personal…at least for Tony-"

"I was waiting for the question, actually." Silver blinked with a shocked expression on her face.

Guess Bruce was smarter than she thought.

"I was just wondering…what exactly happened between Pepper and Tony?" Bruce thought for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. He frowned a bit as he turned right at a stoplight. He sighed as he shrugged and shook his head.

"To be honest, even I'm not really sure what happened," he answered honestly. "They seemed like they were great for each other at first," he explained as Silver listened carefully. "But, it's Tony, and I'd say that you should hear this all from him." If only he'd ever actually talk to people.

The rest of the car ride was taken in a comfortable silence, Silver contemplating Tony's past relationship. Her eyes softened as she remembered both expressions of the exes as they separated the day she had arrived. It was as if Pepper had just heard the worst news of her life, then again, a breakup can be the worst news to someone. And Tony, Silver didn't even know the man on a personal level, but she was sure that he could never look as demolished as he did the day Pepper had left in the elevator. It was as if he was letting a piece of himself go, the most important piece, though Pepper really _was _the most important piece to Tony.

"Here we go." Silver looked up and smiled as they pulled up to the storage warehouse where her things had been dropped off when they had been shipped over from Chicago. "I might not be the other guy right now and I'm definitely no Cap or Thor, but I think I can help with a few boxes," Banner stated confidently as Silver chuckled and nodded.

"Thank you."  
"No problem," Bruce said. "Now, let's get to work."

* * *

After moving the rest of her boxes on to her floor, Silver was officially all moved in to the tower. She smiled to herself, happy that she had everything basically in place; she could worry about the little details later. The copper blonde sighed and made her way to the elevator, deciding to make her way back to the shared floor of the tower. She hummed softly to herself as she rode the car down ten more floors. Finally, it stopped, the doors sliding open and allowing Silver to make her way to the kitchen.

"Hey, JARVIS?"

"Yes, Ms. Livingston?"

"What am I allowed to use to make dinner?"

"Anything can be used to your disposal, ma'am."

"Thanks." Having the random voice appear at anyone's will was becoming rather convenient for Silver. She smiled to herself and nodded as she opened the pantry cabinet and glanced around. Then, a thought quickly struck her.

"Sorry, JARVIS. One more thing."  
"Not a problem at all."

"Where's Tony?"  
"Master Stark is located in the lab still. He has yet to leave," the A.I. stated as a large frown appeared on Silver's lips. She crossed her arms, her hip slightly jutted out to the left. She shook her head as she reached out and began grabbing materials for a sandwich.

"I guess I start now."

She took a few minutes to make a sandwich for herself before she began making another sandwich. She quickly finished making it before she devoured hers with little trouble. After she grabbed a cup, she filled it with orange juice and made her way to the elevator. She waited anxiously in the car, her foot tapping lightly against the floor. She closed her eyes and shook her head as she took a deep breath and nodded to herself.

Tony was hard at work, riding off of five hours of sleep total and three cups of coffee, seven glasses of whiskey and a granola bar. He wasn't sure how he was able to push past the usual needs of a human being but then he remembered; he was Tony Stark. He could make it through just about anything.

Finishing off his latest modification to his Mark VII suit, Tony set the blowtorch down and sighed, not noticing the sound of light footsteps echoing on the floor. It wasn't until that nagging feeling appeared in his gut, the feeling that he was no longer alone in his sanctuary. He set down blow torch and turned, blinking with surprise as he watched Silver stare at the glass cases with his previous suits in them. He quickly noticed the curiosity gleaming in the blonde's eyes as she stared up at them wondrously, almost like she was stuck in a trance.

"Is there something I can do for you Ms. Livingston?" he finally asked as the blonde jumped and gave him a nervous smile.

"Well, you've been in the lab for a while and I thought you might get hungry," Silver explained as she nodded towards the food in her hands. She quickly set the plate down on the counter as she smiled. "I figured I would bring you something to eat. Don't want my boss dying before the job even starts," she joked and had Tony known her longer he might have chuckled a bit.

As Tony opened his mouth to reply with a short thanks to the woman, a sudden idea popped into his mind. He blinked a few times before a cunning smirk appeared across his lips, though it went unnoticed by Silver. "This was really nice of you."

"It's no problem at all!"

"But I can't eat this." The confused blonde blinked as she slowly raised a brow at her boss.

"Wh-Why?"

"I'm a vegetarian."

A long moment of silence passed between the two as Silver stared incredulously at Tony, who was trying his best to keep a straight face. She cleared her throat as she shook her head and finally spoke up, saying, "…Y-You're a vegetarian?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too," Tony explained as he turned and released his held back smirk. "But I realized that it's my job to protect everyone, animals and all."

"…Wow…" Silver was genuinely lost for words.

"I'm a superhero of the world, the _whole _world," Tony stated dramatically, causing Silver to feel more flustered than she would have ever imagined.

"I…I'm sorry. I'll just go fix you something else to eat then."  
"That would be great," Tony stated with a cheeky smile. Silver hesitated before she nodded and grabbed the plate, making her way back to the elevator.

"Oh and, uh, Livingston?" Said woman stopped as she looked back at the billionaire, who held up the cup of orange juice to her. "Scotch will be just fine." She quickly nodded, grabbing the cup and turning to make her way to the elevator.

Tony watched her go and as she disappeared, he shook his head and smirked to himself. He turned back to his work as he scoffed. "Vegetarian? That's a new one, Stark," he said to himself as he began to work once again.

He wanted to see how far this new assistant was willing to go. He wanted to see just how many buttons he could push, how many nerves he could tear until he found the blonde's core. He was going to push Silver until she couldn't bend. He would break her and show her just how difficult he could be. He wanted her to see exactly who he was and why everyone always left him. He was doing her a favor.

* * *

"Vegetarian? Really?" Silver shook her head as she glanced through the fridge, looking for something more suitable for a vegetarian to eat. She frowned to herself as she ran her fingers through her silk-like hair. "I would have never imagined-"

"Welcome back, Mr. Rogers." Silver span around and her eyes widened as she watched a tall and built man walk into the kitchen, pulling off a brown leather jacket that was slightly outdated, yet still in fashion. She felt a light blush come across her cheeks as the rather handsome man stopped dead in his tracks and his blue eyes bore into her green ones. He blinked, confusion coming across his face before realization hit him. He put on his award-winning smile and approached Silver with all the confidence in the world as he nodded.

"You must be Stark's new assistant." Silver cleared her throat, gathering her composure, as she nodded and smiled.

"Silver Livingston," she successfully stated as the man known as Captain America nodded.

"Steven Rogers, ma'am."

"Silver's just fine," the blonde stated, causing a sheepish smile to appear across Steve's face.

"Right. And you can call me Steve."

"Nice to meet you, Steve." It really was. It wasn't every day you met a war hero from the second World War, not to mention a man who had just saved with world with the rest of the Avengers.

Silver was never going to get used to this.

"Were you just looking for something to make for dinner?" Steve asked curiously as he made his way around the counter and to the fridge. "Everything's looking a little bare in here, sorry about that," he stated as he sighed; he was going to have to go grocery shopping soon.

"It's not for me," Silver explained as she smiled weakly. "It's for Tony."

"Oh, anything should be fine then."  
"That's what I thought," the young woman mumbled under her breath as she rolled her eyes.

"Hmm, did you try making him a sandwich?" the American symbol asked as Silver blinked.

"Sandwich?"  
"Mmhm. He's a little picky about his lunch meats but he loves chicken breast so that should be fine." Silver stared at Steve for a long moment as she let his statement sink in fully. The blond himself looked over at the silent woman for a moment before he raised a brow, wondering if he had said something strange; he was still trying to adjust to the new lingo.

"Silver?"

"Sorry! Um, thanks. I'll keep that in mind next time," she stated with a smile as Steve nodded his head. He let his jaw fall open to say something when JARVIS cut in.

"Mr. Rogers, Agent Sitwell is on channel two for you," the A.I. said, a more serious expression falling over Steve's face.

"Well, duty calls," he said as Silver smiled widely and nodded. She watched as Steve made his way to the elevator, the man disappearing behind sliding doors. The smile on the blonde's face immediately dropped as she stared at the untouched sandwich. She placed her hands on her hips and glared as she shook her head.

"Vegetarian my ass!" Silver was beginning to question her career choice.


	4. The Day in the Life of Tony's Assistant

Hi everyone! Happy October!

Thanks for everyone who's been reading and reviewing! I really appreciate the support and comments from everyone! =) I really hope you guys like reading this! I've been trying my hardest with these chapters and hopefully it shows!

* * *

_**Stark Tower: 4:07 am.**_

A soft thrumming echoed through the darkness of a room. A groan followed shortly after as a pair of jade eyes slowly fluttered open. A sigh then resonated through the disrupted silence as a slim shadow slowly rose from its laying position. A dainty hand reached out and searched the nightstand beside the queen sized bed for the ringing object. Finally, the hand found its treasure, quickly pressing the green button and placing the phone to the awaiting ear.

"Hello?"

"_Livingston! Good, you picked up."_

"Mr. Stark?" Silver blinked as she glanced at her digital alarm clock and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she mentally groaned and shook her head. "Do you have any idea what the time is?"

"_That's exactly why I'm calling," _her boss stated evenly, causing a brow to rise on Silver's face. She scratched the back of her head as she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

"_I have an important job for you." _The copper blonde was surprised at the staid tone in her boss' voice. She hadn't been expecting that. The past four weeks of working with Tony had been agonizing for her. The man had her running ridiculous and almost impossible errands for him and she was beginning to grow tired of it; this time he must have been serious.

Silver quickly stood up to her feet as she made her way to her bathroom, wincing as the lights automatically turned on her for. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"_I need you to do this as efficiently and as quickly as possible," _Tony began to explain as Silver began to brush her teeth, setting her blackberry down and turning the speaker option on. _"On the corner of west 51__st__ and 10__th__ avenue, there's a shop that I need you to go to." _The assistant spat her toothpaste out and rinsed her mouth as she quickly placed her cell phone back to the side of her face.

"_Go into the shop and say that you're there for me and that you're there to pick up my usual," _he instructed. _"They'll know what you mean by that." _From what Tony was saying, it sounded like he needed whatever Silver was picking up bad.

"What exactly am I getting?" the blonde asked as she pulled a pair of gray slacks on, holding her phone in between her cheek and shoulder as she zipped and buttoned them.

"_I need the package in order to finish working down here." _Silver nodded as a determined gleam appeared in her green eyes. She quickly threw a button-up shirt on as she slipped her black heels on and made her way out the door.

"I'm on my way right now."

"_Good, make sure you get it as quick as you can." _Without another word, the line ended and Silver stuffed her phone into her back pocket. She smiled slightly to herself as she nodded and quickly entered the elevator. She nodded to herself as she took a deep breath, promising herself she'd make sure to do a good job on getting whatever it was that Tony needed. She pulled her phone out, calling the driver and telling him to ready the car.

And out she went.

_**Stark Tower-Lab: 6:57 am.**_

Tony continued working diligently as he stared up at the hologram images of his suit. He enlarged the mechanism on his arm-plate by holding his hands up and gracefully pulling them away so that the image would stretch with the motion. He stared hard and narrowed his eyes in concentration before he heard the elevator approaching.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Livingston, finally," Tony said as he turned around, the image disappearing. He smiled brazenly as he watched the blonde approach him, the muscles in her face tense. He watched as she set a brown paper bag down on the counter and crossed her arms. "I see you picked up my package without any trouble." He smiled widely as he sat down on a stool and grabbed for the bag. Silver did her best to control herself as she smiled weakly at the man she called "boss". She cleared her throat as she straightened up.

"Shawarma?" Tony looked up with a confused expression on his face before he glanced down at his food. A look of realization came over him as he shook his head.

"That was rude of me," he stated. "Do you want some? This place makes killer food."

"You called me and woke me up at four in the morning so you could have _shawarma_?" the assistant reiterated as Tony shrugged. She released a short breath that was supposed to be a laugh as she shook her head. "When you called, you made it seem urgent."

"They say that eating is important, you know, the whole 'starvation kills you' thing."

"You said you needed this in order to finish working in the lab!"

Tony thought for a moment before he shrugged. "It must have been my exhaustion and hunger talking."

Silver blinked as she cleared her throat and closed her eyes for a moment, hoping she'd lock the boiling anger inside of her away. Tony met her gaze and raised a brow innocently as he began to rip into the paper bag. He pulled out the to-go box of food as he set it down on the counter.

"I do have to say." Silver was sure that whatever the engineer was going to say was going to piss her off. "It took you longer than I thought it would to pick it up."  
She was right.

"Well," the 29-year-old said. "There was a little traffic and they weren't _open_ when I got there."

"It doesn't take that long to make this stuff, does it?"

"I waited for an hour-and-a-half!" she almost yelled. She quickly gained her composure back, though Tony didn't seem to notice the tension in her body as he continued to dig into his meal.

"Well, looks like you learned a lesson. Always plan ahead for these things." The billionaire ignored the blatant glare he was receiving from the woman as he listened to her release a deep breath through her nostrils. He glanced up at her as she forced a smile across her thin lips.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" she pushed out as Tony thought for a moment. He shook his head and smiled widely at the woman.

"You're free to go." He watched as Silver quickly turned on her heel and made her way to the elevator, not daring to look back; she wasn't about to get stuck running another chore for Tony.

_**Stark Tower-1**__**st**__** floor: 10:38 am.**_

Silver looked through stacks of mail for Tony, organizing and tossing the random letters out and keeping the bills, fan-mail, and invitations in the "keep" pile. It didn't matter though; she'd be the one replying anyways. She leaned forward in her cushioned chair as she closed her eyes and rubbed them with the palm of her hands. At that point, she really didn't care if her make-up was slightly smudged; she was too tired to notice.

Before she began to fall asleep at her desk, the beeping of her cell phone shook her from her near-slumber. She scrambled for her phone and quickly picked up, clearing her throat. "Hello?"

"_Livingston, I need you on the 17__th__ floor really quick."_ Said woman blinked as she stood from her desk.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Stark?" she asked, though she really didn't want to know. She began to make her way to the elevator as the man continued.

"_I have something to keep you busy for a little. He's a big one though, so you have to be ready for this."_

"Wait, who-" Silver stopped her inquiring as she pushed the up button and realized the elevator doors were still closed. She blinked as her brows furrowed inward.

"_Oh, I forgot to mention," _Tony began, as if on cue. _"The elevators are shut down right now."_

"Wh-Why?" Silver asked incredulously as she tried pressing the button once more; it didn't change anything.

"_I have JARVIS run random, periodic tests on them to make sure they're working properly and safely. The works," _Tony stated evenly as Silver blinked.

"How am I supposed to get to the 17th floor?" she asked wide-eyed as her gaze slowly drifted to the emergency staircase doors to her left. She frowned to herself, already knowing Tony's answer.

"_Lucky for us, there's something called stairs that people use when the elevators aren't working," _the man stated sarcastically as Silver envisioned him rolling his dark eyes at her. _"It's an outdated invention though. I don't blame you for not knowing." _God, what Silver would give to punch the sarcasm out of his voice.

"I'll be up there in…a bit," Silver muttered as she pushed open the metal door and stared at the steps. She frowned to herself as she hung the phone up and stuffed it into her pocket. She groaned and almost stomped her foot; she didn't because she realized she was no longer two and allowed to throw temper tantrums.

"Here we go."

_**Stark Tower-17**__**th**__** floor: 10:53 am. **_

Ragged pants filled the void-less silence as the metal door to the floor swung open, revealing a slouched over woman. She kept her green eyes shut as she leaned over and used the door to keep her balance; had she not, she would have most definitely fallen to the floor. Not bothering to look around, Silver quickly trudged her way to the nearest seat and sat down, leaning back and catching her breath.

At first, the assistant thought she might be able to run up set of stairs and push past the slight burning she'd feel in her thighs and lungs; it was more than just slight. By the time Silver made it to the fifth floor, she was already breathing heavily and wishing she could throw herself over the railing and back to the first floor. Anything would have been better at that moment than continuing forward and up. She pushed on though, not wanting to give her ruthless boss the satisfaction. So, after a long journey up, she finally made it to the 17th floor.

"Silver, you're just in time. The elevators _just _started up again!" Tony stated as he looked over, Silver shaking her head and closing her eyes. She took a few seconds to catch her breath before she stood to her feet and sighed. She raised a brow as she looked up, Tony holding out a leash to her. She blinked and opened her mouth to question the man.

"What is that for?"

"Him." Silver's eyes widened. She didn't stay on her feet for too long as she heard scampering on the tiled floor. Before she could react, she felt something pounce on to her, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. She winced and coughed, getting the wind slightly knocked out of her.

"Wh-What is this?" she asked instantly as she felt some slightly slimy run up her cheek.

"This is Grover," Tony said as he watched the golden retriever on top of Silver continue to assault her with sloppy licks. He smirked as he heard the woman release a sound of frustration before she shoved the dog away and stood up. She dusted herself off and looked over at Tony with a confused expression.

"You don't have a dog," she pointed out as Tony nodded.

"I don't, but I'm watching this guy for Rhodey while he's away for work," he explained as Silver looked back into the banks of her memory, reminding herself that the military man did mention his dog during passing conversation once. She frowned at that as she cleared her throat.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" she asked as she stared at the pet with a slightly disgusted look, which was all too entertaining for Tony.

"I need you to take him out and entertain him for a while."

"Wh-What? I don't think I can," the blonde said quickly as she looked down at the dog sitting happily at her feet, staring up at her with his doe-like eyes. "This wasn't really in my job description."

"So, you're not a dog person? I'm surprised, I would've pegged you for one," Tony said, ignoring the woman's refusal to the task at hand. "What are you then? A cat person? No, cats don't really seem like the household pet you'd like. Maybe-"

"Tony!" Silver quickly interrupted the man's train of thought as she smiled weakly. "I really can't take it."

"What do you have against dogs, anyways?" the billionaire asked curiously as Silver took a small step away from the dog, the dog following her eagerly.

"Let me put it this way," the assistant stated as she jumped, the dog suddenly standing on his legs and letting his tongue hang freely from his mouth. "I'm already responsible for my life. I don't need to be responsible for another's."

Tony rolled his eyes at that as he scoffed. "You know, that seems sort of contradicting coming from an assistant that works for me," he said as Silver glanced up at him and shook her head.

"Anyways, you just need to take him out on a walk for a little. I would do it myself but I'm _swamped_." The copper blonde knew that was a complete lie. "Let the little guy get some energy out."

_I wouldn't really call him a little guy, _Silver snapped to herself as she glared down at the unknowing dog. She sighed as looked down at the leash and frowned. She carefully attached the leash on to the dog's collar before she held tightly to the handle. "Well, I'll just-"

"No animals on the elevator," Tony chimed in as he made his way to the elevator. He looked over his shoulder and shrugged. "Building policy," he stated as Silver blinked and watched the doors slide shut, a smiling Tony giving her one last nod. She stood in silence for a second as she let the moment sink in. She closed her eyes and groaned again as she looked down at the dog and then to the staircase. The retriever, catching on to Silver's notion quickly began to sprint to the door, tugging the unsuspecting woman along. She released a surprised yelp before she was forced to follow after the dog.

"Whoa! Stop! Grover! No!"

_**Central Park: 11:28 am. **_

"Stupid mutt," Silver sighed as she leaned back against the park bench she was seated on and closed her eyes. She released a hum of satisfaction as she glanced over at Grover, the golden retriever's leash tied neatly around a small tree trunk, holding him in place. She rolled her eyes as the pet tried to launch himself at a butterfly gliding past him. She shook her head and glanced down at her heels and frowned; they were officially broken.

_These were my favorite pair too…_the exhausted assistant mumbled to herself as she shook her head. She sat up and stretched, letting her aching muscles breathe for a moment. She sighed to herself, letting a wave of defeat wash over her soul.

"How am I-"

_If you need to know something about him or have any questions and can't get a hold of me, just look at this folder._

Silver stood to her feet, remembering the manila folder stuck in the top drawer of her desk. She nodded to herself as a resolute look came over her. Before she began her barefoot walk back to the tower, she stopped, looking back to the creature she had almost forgotten about. Her eyes widened as she watched Grover run loose from his leash, roaming wildly through the grass.

"Shit!" And so the chase continued.

_**Stark Tower-1**__**St**__** floor: 12:32 pm. **_

Soft pants echoed through the air as a bark broke out and the gentle pats of paws against marble flooring followed after. A groan filled the air as the wiring sound of the elevator followed after, the doors sliding open to reveal the master marksman. He blinked and chuckled slightly as he knelt down beside the animal and began to show Grover a bit of love.

"Where's Rhodes, big guy?"

"I'm James' temporary dog sitter." Clint looked up and released short laugh as he shook his head and stood up, looking at a rather dismantled Silver. She threw the archer a playful glare as he cleared his throat and gathered his composure.

"I see who won the battle," he joked as the assistant shook her head and sighed, narrowing her eyes at the innocent looking golden retriever.

"Little devil."

"So, I see Stark's got you running around like a chicken with no head again?" Hawkeye asked as Silver nodded, the exhaustion almost seeping through every pore in her body.

"How did you know?" she queried sarcastically as the archer chuckled and shrugged, making his way towards the exit of the building.

"Just a lucky guess, I suppose."

Silver sighed and gave the man a short wave as he nodded back to her and headed out. She didn't bother asking where he was going; they weren't close enough for that. She turned her attention back to the dog and shook her head.

"JARVIS?" she called out, as she began to make her way to her office, tossing her shoes to the couch situated on the wall adjacent to her desk.

"What can I help you with, Ms. Livingston?" the computerized voice asked. The blonde sighed as she opened her drawer and began to dig through it, searching for what she hoped had her answers.

"Could you just let me know if the thing tries to leave or do anything?"

"Of course."

Feeling slightly better with JARVIS on her side, Silver put her full attention on finding the folder she had received from Pepper on her first day. She cheered to herself as she pulled out the manila folder, quickly taking a seat and opening it. She flipped through the pages, skimming through the medical reports, biography reports. She paused at the page titled "Afghanistan" and stopped for a moment. She stared at it before she cleared her throat and continued on, finally finding what she had been looking for. She smirked to herself as she pulled out the couple sheets on the personality evaluation of Tony.

_Narcissistic, stubborn, volatile, spontaneous, can show signs of deep depression…_ The list continued on as Silver read, her frown deepening with each adjective about her boss. She slowly set the sheet of paper down as she glanced up and blankly stared at the wall for a few seconds. She sighed and shook her head, the feeling of defeat slowly sinking into her soul.

She stood to her feet and began to gather her papers together. As she began to slide them back into the file, she stopped, noticing a notecard sticking out. She carefully pulled it out, noticing the familiar hand writing.

_I know that Tony can sometimes be hard to deal with, but he does mean well, sometimes we just don't understand how. He just needs some time to…heal and he just needs someone to watch him and make sure that he doesn't drift down the wrong path. That's exactly why I chose you to take this job. _

Silver stopped as she felt her heart drop slightly. Her eyes softened and she found herself almost not wanting to read on. If she did, then she'd probably lose her will to truly hate Tony.

_I know you can keep up with Tony. He's selfish and cold and sometimes just reckless, but he really doesn't mean any harm. People think that Tony's lost all the kindness in him, and even Tony thinks it too, but he hasn't. I know he hasn't. So just keep trying. If you do, you might get to see just exactly what I'm talking about._

_Pepper._

Silver stared at the notecard for a few seconds before she tossed it carelessly on to her desk. She sat back down in her seat and sighed as she shook her head and groaned. She stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds as she let her thoughts process. She wished she could have gone back into time and left the notecard in the folder. She wished that she hadn't noticed it to begin with. Now she had no choice but to sympathize with Tony; her heart wouldn't let her do otherwise.

The emotionally exhausted assistant sighed as she closed her eyes, enjoying her few seconds of down time. She jumped slightly as the embodied voice rang through her ears. "Ms. Livingston, I believe Grover is heading towards the exit after a squirrel."

"Damn that thing!"

_**Stark Tower-Lab: 5:57 pm.**_

"Livingston! Just right there is fine, you know I hate having things handed to me." Tony kept his eyes glued to his suit as he tightened a bolt on the leg piece. He glanced over at his assistant as she set a plate with a steak on it down on the counter. He stood to his feet and approached his dinner, examining it for a moment before he nodded, satisfied with the outcome of his food.

"Nice work. It's perfectly cooked."

"Well, you know what they say," Silver said as she forced a smile on to her lips. "_Sixth_ _time's_ the charm." Silver watched as Tony began to dig into his medium-rare steak, her shoulders sagging for a moment.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked as Tony looked up. The reels in his head began to turn before he nodded and a gleam of excitement appeared in his eyes.

"There is just one thing I need you to do for me," he stated as he grabbed Silver by her wrist and dragged her towards the middle of the room. She blinked and raised a brow as she watched the man pull on his arm piece, the orb on the palm of his wrist slowly flickering on and glowing.

"I just made a few modifications to my suit and I just want to test them out really quick," he explained. Instantly, an unsettling feeling began run through Silver's body as she took a deep breath.

"What are you asking?"

"I just basically need you to stand there while I practice shooting at the moving targets behind you."

"What?!" Silver's eyes felt almost as if they were going to pop out of their sockets as her entire body stiffened. Tony waved her obvious concern off as he raised his palm and concentrated on the targets hanging from the ceiling.

"Don't worry," he stated. "I'm a professional, saved the world and everything," he explained as he ignored the fear welling up inside of the blonde's eyes.

"M-Mr. Stark?" she called out, feeling her voice slowly disappear behind a wall of fear. She stared at the man as he ignored her. "Tony!" she called out slightly louder. Her eyes widened as she watched a ball of light slowly fester at the man's palm.

That was the exact moment Silver lost all sense.

Her palms began to sweat as her heart beat erratically against her chest. Her muscles clenched as her jaw stayed tightly shut, her eyes wide like a deer staring into headlights. She couldn't focus on anything but the light in Tony's hand that looked deceivingly beautiful. It shined with this white hue, almost like it was a cloud, and she almost couldn't look anywhere else but at it. Everything around her was moving much slower than she remembered it being. She watched as a burst of energy began to streak out from her boss' hand and that was when she heard a voice, screaming. It wasn't until it was all over that she realized it had been her own voice.

In that short instant, everything began to move normally once again. Tony flawlessly took out each and every target, though Silver had squeezed her eyes shut and curled into herself. She trembled uncontrollably as she listened to her stressed breathing, her knees shaking almost buckling underneath her. Taking a few minutes to recover, Silver slowly looked up, meeting Tony's unreadable gaze.

"…See," he said evenly as he pulled the arm piece off. "You had nothing to worry about." The Iron Man watched as Silver said nothing. She glared icily at him as she straightened up and stormed off towards the elevator. He watched her go, not saying a word, listening to the elevator doors opening and closing. He closed his eyes and sighed, letting the moment sink in.

Tony had crossed a line. He knew it. He had known it from the beginning. He hadn't meant to go that far. It was almost like an out of body experience. He was merely watching his body act on its own. He didn't care much though. That reaction was exactly what Tony was striving for.

The hero stared down at his plate of food, watching as the juices from his steak began to stream around his pure white plate, staining it. Slowly approached the plate and for a short moment he did nothing but stare at it. Suddenly, he swept his hand underneath it and watched as everything flew through the air, the steak falling to waste and his perfect plate breaking into little shards.

"Sir, shall I have-"

"No. Leave it," Tony stated to his A.I. as he stared down at the broken white shards. He knelt down beside the plate, picking up a small piece. He examined the shard before he dropped it and stood to his feet. He couldn't help but find similarities between the shattered glass and himself; no matter how hard anyone tries, the pieces can never be put back completely because every little shard can never be found and placed in the exact spots that they belong in.

They'll be forever lost.

Tony shook his head, ignoring the mess and letting everything soil his lab.

_**Stark Tower: 4:45 am.**_

Silver sighed as she laid restlessly in her bed. She glanced over at her digital clock and sighed as she turned back to the ceiling, staring through the darkness. She closed her eyes and tried to get her mind to rest. It wasn't until she was almost asleep that she was rudely awoken by the ringing of her phone. She slowly let her eyes flicker open and she sighed as she sat up, picking her cell up and staring at the caller I.D.

_You might get to see just exactly what I'm talking about._

The 29-year-old released a sigh of defeat before she picked up the call and shook her head. "What can I do for you, Mr. Stark?"

* * *

Let me know what you thought!


	5. The Last Straw

Hi everyone! It's been forever since the last time I updated. I apologize for that! I've been a little busy and to be honest I've been just sort of stuck with this but now I'm not! So I'm updating now!

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! I appreciate the support! You guys keep me going :) I hope you guys do like this one. I worked EXTRA hard on this so hopefully it shows!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers nor the characters associated with the franchise

* * *

Everyone had seen it coming, it was just about when.

It was a Wednesday morning when Silver finally broke and felt every nerve in her body convulse. She had been working hard trying to make sure that the meeting with Stark Industries' number one competitor went well. They were trying to work out a deal with them and it had taken days for the assistant to set up the conference and make sure that everyone's day was free. She had talked to Tony several times about the meeting and its importance and though he was listening, she was never really sure if the information had actually registered in his mind. She trusted him though, after all, it was his company and his work; he wouldn't screw that up.

She had been sorely mistaken.

Silver stormed through the garage, almost jumping out of the car while it was pulling up to a parking spot. She glared icily at the elevator as her heels clicked fiercely against the concrete. She stepped on and pressed the button to the 102nd floor of the building; the shared floor. She crossed her arms as she waited impatiently, feeling almost as if she was going to burst into flames. She had never been so livid in her entire life.

The meeting with the corporate rivals had been scheduled for 12:30 pm. Silver had gone into the office early so she could make sure that everything had been set up and ready to go when Tony arrived. He was supposed to arrive 20 minutes before the conference so the two could go over what he was going to say and tell them. It was Silver's biggest event since she began working with Tony and she wasn't about to mess it up.

Too bad she hadn't thought about Tony messing it up.

The elevator doors slid open and the copper blonde didn't waste a second on getting out. She looked both ways; finding most of the Avengers, save for two, standing by the counter. The four heroes turned their attention to the fuming assistant, knowing exactly what was to come.

"Where is he?" Silver asked as she stood with her hands on her hips, a flame burning in her jade eyes. Banner took the lead, seeing the rage just festering inside of the woman. It had been building up since the moment Silver had begun her job and Bruce could see it all waiting for her to break.

"He's been in the lab," the scientist explained. "He's locked all of us out and JARVIS' program doesn't allow our bypass codes to work."

"I'm afraid Master Stark wishes to be alone," the A.I. suddenly stated.

"To hell with that!" Silver snapped as she turned on her heel and made her way to the stairway. The others exchanged glances as they watched the blond make her way down five stories.

Approaching the metal door, Silver grabbed hold of the handle of the door and tugged with all of her strength. She began to tremble with fury as she found the door locked tightly. She raised her hand and began to knock, though they soon turned to pounds. She glared at the dark gray door as she shook her head.

"Tony! Open up!" she yelled, receiving no response. "I know you can hear me!" she exclaimed as she continued pounding. She ignored the slight swelling and the change of color in her fist as she continued.

"Open-"

"Allow me." Silver looked over her shoulder as Captain America motioned for the young woman to step aside. She relaxed for a moment as she nodded and took a few steps back. She watched as Steve braced himself, pulling his leg back and slamming the bottom of his foot right into the door beside the handle. The two watched as it flew forward, skidding and screeching against the floor.

"What the-" Tony looked up from the small trinket he was building, rolling his eyes at the door as he shook his head. "I'm not paying for that," he called out as he held tightly to a screwdriver in one hand, his 10th cup of bourbon in the other.

Silver marched into the lab as Steve lingered back, wanting to the two to work out their problems on their own. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Here, clearly," the man replied back snarkily as he shrugged. Silver tried to keep her act together as she took a deep breath. She watched with disgust as the man leaned against the table, taking a large sip of his drink. She shook her head as he raised a brow at her and blinked.

"So this is it?" she asked as she looked around, unimpressed. "This is who the great Tony Stark is? Just some drunk that locks himself away all day, drinking himself to oblivion?" Tony seemed completely unfazed by the statement.

"I'm offended. I haven't had _nearly_ enough to be drunk yet," Iron Man stated carelessly as he took another swig from his cup. He slammed his glass against the counter and refilled it with the remains of his bottle, his assistant shaking her head.

"You had an incredibly important meeting today. You were supposed to meet me 20 minutes before it started and you never showed up," she pointed out as Tony shrugged and sloshed the contents in his cup around.

"I'm impressed by your _outstanding_ deducing skills," he said sardonically. "As you can see, I was held up by some work." That was when Silver lost it.

"Work?" she snapped as she stared incredulously at her boss. "This is what you call work?" she almost yelled.

"Usually, yes," Tony said with a shrug as Silver shook her head.

"Is everything just a joke to you?"

"Only if it's funny," he shot back flippantly as he took another sip from his glass. Silver found her patience almost completely gone as she tried to keep it all together. She shook her head, the two not noticing the audience forming around them.

"You were supposed to meet with Mr. Horgan today and talk about your plans for your clean energy project. Do you have any idea how stupid I looked when you didn't show up?" Silver asked as Tony thought for a moment. He nodded as he walked over to his desk chair and took a seat.

"Must've looked pretty bad on your part, Porcelain." Silver opened her mouth to retort back but stopped, the argument being paused for a quick moment. She blinked as Tony raised a brow at her confused expression. Realization hit him before he nodded and went on.

"I decided your face reminds me of those little porcelain dolls."

"You mean those extremely _creepy_ glass dolls?" Tony nodded with a proud smile.

"That's the one!"

Silver saw red after that.

"That's it!" she screamed. She slammed her hands on the desk top as she glared at Tony.

That was the moment the playboy had been waiting for. He had been pushing Silver for this very reaction. He watched the woman before him carefully, waiting for everything to play out exactly how he had imagined in his head. Just like the rest, she would leave and he'd be alone again, just how he liked it.

"I'm through playing your games and I'm through letting you push me around like some sort of idiot!" Silver yelled. "I refuse to let you treat me like shit because, guess what?" she exclaimed. "No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you piss me off and try and push me away, I'm not going anywhere and Pepper's _not_ coming back!" Tony's eyes widened as he felt his entire body tense. He held tightly to his cup as he kept his deep brown eyes glued to the amber liquid.

Everyone in the room stood silently as Silver glared at Tony. The spies glanced at each other as they kept a close eye on Tony, watching as every muscle twitched in his body. Bruce closed his eyes and released a silent sigh as he pulled his glasses off of his face and rubbed his eyes. He glanced over at Steve as they shared a silent conversation, the captain shaking his head.

"I tried to be understanding. So I let you act out and treat me like I was worthless because I know that going through a break up can be the hardest thing sometimes." Silver felt the rage in her body simmer down as the tension on her shoulders began to disappear. "I wanted you to deal with this the way you deal with things because I know what it's like to hurt and because I felt like you deserved to move on at your own pace, but enough is enough!" the copper blonde shook her head as she stared at the glass in the man's hand.

"Just because you're in pain doesn't mean you get to act like a _colossal_ asshole!" she snapped. "Nothing you do is going to change the fact that you and Pepper are no longer together."

She didn't want to do this. She had just wanted things to run smoothly and she had wanted everything to work out eventually. She hated being the one to bring the bad news, but it was as if she had no control over what she said. There was no filter in her head. She said everything she felt and at that point, she didn't give a damn anymore about what anyone had to say.

"I'm here to stay, whether you like it or not, and no matter how much crap you throw at me, I REFUSE to back down," she proclaimed.

The two sat in silence as everyone else waited for the bomb to go off. The four bystanders watched intently as Tony stared at his glass. He slowly looked up at Silver, and for a moment, no one was sure what was going to happen.

"…Just to clarify, that meeting's cancelled, right?" Silver released an almost feral scream as she shook her head.

"The meeting's been rescheduled for an hour until now. Get your lazy ass up and ready before then or I swear I'll make sure you regret it!" Without a second glance back, Silver turned and made her way to the staircase, not wanting to bother with decoding JARVIS. She quickly rushed past the others as they let her go, not saying a word. A tense silence fell over the room as Tony sat and stared at his cup. His expression softened as he closed his eyes and quietly sighed to himself.

"I suppose that means I should get up and go?"

"Sounds like it," Natasha replied back gently as she and Stark locked gazes for a moment. They shared a silent conversation as Tony stood to his feet, setting his glass down.

"…I-"

"It's alright, Tony." The super soldier smiled as the billionaire silently thanked him for letting him keep what little dignity he had left. He nodded to himself before he began to make his way to the already smashed door.

"Time to go," he mumbled before he stopped and looked down at the demolished door.

"Seriously, I'm not fixing that again."

* * *

It was half past three am. but Silver found she was wide awake, sitting alone at her personal kitchen table. She stared out the large scale window, letting the city lights keep her company as she sulked and sipped right out of the bottle for her pinot noir.

Tony had been on time and ready for the second attempt for his meeting. It almost frightened her, how well he was able to get back on his feet and pretend like he was perfectly fine. He waltzed into the conference room and with little to no trouble at all sealed the deal with Horgan's company. There was no trace of pain or hurt in his eyes. It was unnatural to Silver, almost a little disturbing. No one would have known that Tony had been locked away in his lab and no one could have guessed that he was suffering at all.

Silver sighed as she shook her head and closed her eyes. She took a long sip of her wine and licked her lips afterwards. She chuckled dejectedly as she released a deep breath from her nose.

Was every day with Tony going to be like their earlier encounter? Was it always going to be an uphill battle?

The assistant let her head fall to the wood of the table and stared at the wall for a moment, not noticing the sound of the elevator door opening and closing, footsteps making their way toward her. It wasn't until a brown paper bag was set in front of her on the table that she even knew anyone was in the room with her. She looked up with shocked eyes and blinked, looking up and watching as her companion took a seat across from her. She stared at the bag for a moment before she took a deep breath in and smiled slightly.

"Shawarma."

"Only the best."

Silver stared into Tony's eyes for a moment as he sat, unwavering. He crossed his arms as he patiently waited for the woman to open the bag and dig in. She shook her head with a wary smile on her lips. "It's almost four in the morning."

"Time's not much of an issue when it comes to being me," the man explained simply as his assistant chuckled and sighed. She looked up at her boss with an apologetic look in her eyes.

"…I'm sorry for the things I said to you earlier. It was out of line for me to bring Pepper into the conversation." Jade eyes bore into brown as Tony thought for a moment. He shook his head and smiled slightly.

"As it turns out, that's exactly what I needed to hear." That was the closest to an apology Tony was going to give and Silver was willing to take it without complaint.

"…Look, I know we started off on the _completely_ wrong foot and I know I'm no Pepper Potts, but I think I can do this job and do it well. I just need you to work with me," Silver said as Tony merely nodded. Their eyes locked and at that moment their truce had been signed and sealed. The two sat in a much more comfortable silence before Tony leaned forward and let his arms rest on the table, his hands locking together.

"You know, I didn't give you enough credit, Porcelain." Silver frowned at that.

"So that's really sticking?"

"I think it suits you well." Silver rolled her eyes; some things never change.

The 29-year-old ripped the bag open and glanced inside, laughing as she shook her head and looked up at Tony. "I'm guessing one of these is for you?"

"Well, no one likes eating alone," Tony pointed out as he held his awaiting hand out, Silver shaking her head once more and handing him the second Styrofoam box filled with the delectable meat. He wore a content smile and began to eat as Silver watched him for a moment. She chuckled to herself and began to eat.

The silence quickly broke, the previous tension now gone. The two could breathe again and actually act civilly to each other; Silver was hoping she wouldn't have another episode like earlier again. Eating turned into chatting, which turned into joking around, which turned into finishing two bottles of wine together. Finally, after the sun began to rise, the two stood up, the table cleaned up and the dishes set by the sink for Silver to do later.

"Lucky for you, your schedule's free for the next two days so you get to do nothing, _again_," Silver pointed out dryly as Tony nodded to himself with a smirk.

"Good to hear. I'm exhausted from all of the work I've been doing lately," he said cheekily as Silver narrowed her eyes at him. He held his arms up in defeat as he began to make his way to the elevator. Before he stepped onto the car, he turned and caught Silver's attention as she waited for him to leave.

"You know," he locked his hands behind his back as he began to take steps backwards into the elevator. "You may be no Pepper Potts, but you're one hell of a Silver Livingston." He gave her a nod before the door slid shut, leaving an astonished assistant. She stood in the middle of the room for a moment before a wide smile appeared across her lips. She laughed and shook her head, turning and making her way to her bedroom.

She slept like a baby that night.


	6. Moving Along

Hi, here's chapter 6!

I just wanted to really quickly say thank you to everyone who's been reviewing and reading this story! I'm glad you guys all like it and I hope you continue to enjoy reading it! I've working hard so let me know what you think of it so far! All advice is welcome! ^_^

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers or the characters associated with the franchise_

* * *

It had been four months since Pepper's last visit to the tower. She had been extremely busy in Europe promoting Tony's newest project and closing deals with interested parties; she was CEO for a reason. She had kept in contact with Silver as she traveled but both were busy and had little time to chit chat, so Pepper was left to wait and see how her friend was doing without her. She was admittedly nervous. She had never been gone from Tony's side for that long before, but now that she was no longer his assistant-or girlfriend for that matter-she no longer had a reason to always be by his side.

The sting of that hurt less and less every day.

"You look nervous." Pepper looked up from her phone and blinked as she met Happy's gaze through the rearview mirror. She gave him a smile as she shook her head and waved his statement off.

"No, it's just been a while. It's a little strange being back," she lied; her driver could see right through her. She stared out the window and watched as the skyscrapers passed her by. She took a deep breath and smiled to herself. She ignored the millions of questions that raced through her head as the car pulled up to The Avengers tower's parking garage.

"Ms. Potts, welcome back. How was your trip?" JARVIS asked politely, bringing a smile to the CEO's lips.

"Good, thanks for asking, JARVIS." Oh, how she had missed the A.I.

Virginia made her way to the elevator and smiled as Happy followed after her, the two standing side by side in the small car. Pepper stood stiffly as she tapped her foot lightly against the floor, Happy glancing over at her. His eyes softened as he smiled and placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Tony's a big boy. I'm sure he's been fine while you've been gone."

Pepper laughed, trying to pass her concern off. "I'm sure he's fine."

She wasn't very convincing.

The two reached the recreational floor and immediately were greeted by the team of heroes. They smiled and nodded, Pepper hugging each of the Avengers. She glanced around the room after giving her last hug to Steve. She raised a brow, noticing the absence of one.

"He's been in the lab all morning," Bruce stated as if he were reading the red head's mind. She frowned at that as she shook her head, immediately turning on her heel and making her way back to the elevator.

Was he eating? How long had he been in the lab for? Was he getting enough sleep? Was he giving Silver trouble? As Pepper waited for the elevator to stop at Tony's lab, the woman couldn't help but fidget, her anxiety slightly rising. Tony was notorious for just letting his life go to waste when he was put into trying situations. She wasn't sure what she was going to do if that was the case now.

As she stepped off the elevator, she was greeted with a surprising sight.

"JARVIS! Tell me what the passcode is or I'm tearing you apart, tossing you in the junkyard and making a JARVIS 2.0!"

"Sir, I'm afraid even _you_ don't have the technology for that."

Pepper blinked as she watched a rather healthy looking Tony glare up at the ceiling, Silver standing on the opposite side of the counter with her arms crossed. She relaxed slightly as she glanced over at Silver, who was dressed in simple black dress with a sweetheart neckline, a white cardigan draped over it. The comfortable expression on the 29-year-old's face was unexpected for Pepper, but she was relieved..and slightly hurt.

"Tony, give it up. I had Banner help me reprogram JARVIS. You're not getting the passcode to the liquor cabinets without my bypass code."

"This is ridiculous. I'm getting that green giant for this," Tony muttered as he shook his head.

As the young woman watched the two converse, she couldn't help but feel slightly jaded. Although she knew she had no reason to feel that way, she couldn't stop the thoughts from rolling through her head. She almost felt betrayed. She had once been standing in Silver's position. She had been the one standing by Tony's side. Now they were leading separate lives down separate paths.

"One day without alcohol will not kill you."

"Well, it's good to see that you two are getting along." Pepper smiled as the two looked over at her. Silver immediately grinned as she approached the strawberry redhead and hugged her. The CEO smiled widely and hugged her back before they pulled apart.

"How was Europe?"  
"Good! Very different from America," Pepper stated as Silver nodded. "And how has everything been here?"

"It's like being on vacation every day," Tony stated playfully as Pepper rolled her eyes with a smile. She shook her head as the man gave her a friendly smile, approaching her. The head of Stark Industries felt a hand give her shoulder a squeeze. She looked up and her eyes softened as Silver gave her a smile and nod, making her way to the elevator.

"I'll be with the others if you need me. And no, Tony. I'm not giving you the passcode."

"Yeah, yeah." Tony rolled his eyes as he looked over at Pepper. "You know, I thought you hired her to be my assistant, not my mother," Tony snapped playfully as Pepper chuckled and sighed. Tony clapped his hands together and rubbed them slightly as he and Pepper locked their gazes together. They stood in a comfortable silence, the tension between them almost completely gone.

Finally, the billionaire broke the silence with, "So, how've you been?"

"I've been good," Pepper replied back honestly. She smiled and nodded as she looked back to Tony. Her smile disappeared for a moment as an expression of concern came over her. "How have you been doing, Tony?"

"You'll be happy to know that I've actually been keeping my life together, surprisingly enough," the engineer said proudly as Pepper relaxed and shook her head. She released a sigh of relief before she nodded. Tony looked down at her and smiled slightly and nodded along with her.

"I'm glad to hear that," Pepper said as Tony's eyes softened.

"Hey," he said before the two began to make their way to the elevator. "It's good to have you back." Pepper smiled before she nodded, Tony nodding back to her.

Things were beginning to make sense again.

The two rode up, making conversation with ease. They reached the shared floor and walked into the sitting room, Steve watching a documentary on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with Banner sitting next to him with a notebook in his hand. Clint sat out on the balcony with Natasha, the Russian leaning back against the railing beside Silver, who was chuckling at a joke the assassins had made.

Pepper approached the assistant with a smile as she gave a nod to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go," Silver said with a nod as Clint and Natasha gave the two women a small wave goodbye. They headed to the elevator as Tony walked out of the kitchen, a mug of coffee in his hand.

"Ladies, try not to miss me too much while you're out," the man said brazenly as Pepper rolled her eyes, Silver shaking her head as they stepped into the elevator.

"You just stay out of trouble. And don't waste your time trying to break into the cabinets. JARVIS is going to immediately notify me when you try."

"You know, this wasn't a part of the job description when you were hired." Tony's comment went ignored as Silver smiled innocently and waved goodbye, Pepper laughing and shaking her head, giving the man a wave too. Tony merely shook his head as he rolled his own eyes, giving the two a lazy wave.

He took another sip from his mug before he walked over to the couch and took a seat next to Bruce, the two on the couch not bothering to look over at the owner of the tower. Tony sat quietly for a few minutes as he kept his deep, brown eyes blued to the screen. After five minutes, the genius opened his mouth to speak with a hopeful gleam in his eyes, but the gamma radiation specialist beat him to the punch.

"No. I'm not telling you what the passcode is."

"Don't think I won't remember this, Banner, because I will." Tony stood to his feet and shook his head as he marched off, heading to the lab and mumbling curses under his breath. Bruce chuckled and shook his head as Steve merely smirked, keeping his eyes on the screen.

"How long before he cracks?" the super soldier asked as the scientist chuckled.

"Three days, tops."

* * *

The two women sat in a cozy restaurant, the sun shining brightly through the floor to ceiling length windows. Pepper laid her napkin neatly out on her lap as she took a sip of her water and watched as Silver stuffed her phone into her purse, turning her full attention to her friend and employer. "So, is it good to be back?"

"You have no idea," Pepper stated with a tired smile. Silver chuckled and nodded as she leaned back in her seat and relaxed.

"How have you been?" The CEO blinked as she looked over at Silver, the young woman giving her companion a gentle stare. Pepper hesitated as she smiled softly.

"I'm doing well, actually," she said honestly as she met Silver's eyes. "At first, I wasn't really sure if I was going to be alright, but it looks like I'm still standing," she claimed, Silver smiling at her and nodding her head.

"So," the former assistant to Tony began. "How's everything been going with Tony?"

"Well…" Silver shook her head with a wary smile before she chuckled. "It was a little rough at first, but things are going smoothly now," she stated confidently, Pepper smiling with relief.

"And how has it been for you?" Silver thought for a moment before she smiled, staring aimlessly at her glass of water.

"At first, I really just wanted to quit and forget I ever met Tony…" she trailed off as her smile widened. "But I think I'm slowly starting to understand him." Pepper stared at the smile on Silver's face before her own eyes softened. She smiled back at the blonde as she nodded her head.

"Don't worry, though," Silver added with a smirk. "You'll always be his favorite."

Pepper blinked, shocked by the statement as Silver gave her a wide grin. "He may not show it, but he misses you."

"Are you ladies ready to order?"

"Oh, that's right. I haven't even looked at the menu yet," Silver said sheepishly as she laughed. Pepper watched as the woman across from her conversed casually with their waiter. Her eyes softened as she smiled, though it went unnoticed by her companion.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come up for a little?" Silver stood outside of the limo as Pepper smiled and shook her head.

"I'm still a little jet lagged so I think I'm going to head back and get some rest," the red head explained as Silver nodded with an understanding look on her face. She gave Happy a wave as the driver smiled back at her and gave her a quick wave.

"I'll shoot you an email later on then," the assistant stated as Pepper nodded. She watched as Silver began to make her way to the elevator, the 29-year-old glancing back one last time and waving over her shoulder. Pepper waved back and smiled before her ex-boyfriend's assistant disappeared behind the silver doors.

She sat in silence for a moment as she slowly rolled her window up. The muscles in her face relaxed before she smiled to herself, Happy making his way out of the garage. "Still worried?"

Pepper looked up and met Happy's curious gaze before she slowly shook her head. "Actually," the woman said with a smile. "I'm not so worried anymore." She was leaving him in capable hands.

Taking one last glance back at the Tower, Pepper nodded to herself. _Goodbye, Tony._

* * *

"Where's that damn thing?" Mr. Stark shuffled through the miscellaneous drawers on the counter with his left hand, his right hand held carefully away from anything. He winced and glanced at his burned hand, shaking his head before turning back and searching through the drawers. He shoved the drawer closed before he looked through a shelf, shaking his head at his own disorganization.

"JARVIS, remind me-actually, remind Livingston to clean this place up when she gets the chance." He loved getting under the woman's skin every once in a while.

As the genius continued on with his search for bandages, his injured hand knocked into the edge of the counter, causing the dark haired man to groan to himself. "Son of a bitch!"

"I leave you alone for an hour and look at what happens."

"Porcelain." Tony turned around with a dry smile as Silver sighed and shook her head. "Back already?"

"Well, I couldn't_ stand_ the thought of being away from you for _so long_," Tony's assistant replied back derisively as she smirked, her boss rolling his eyes at her. He watched as Silver walked up to the bottom drawer on the left side of his counter, pulling it open and grabbing the first aid kit.

"I knew I kept you around for a reason," Tony stated as Silver glared lightheartedly at the man. She shook her head and gently grabbed his hand, wrapping it after rubbing some cream on the injury. Tony took his hand and opened and closed his fist before he nodded to himself.

"I say in celebration to an injury well treated, we-"

"You just don't know when to give up," Silver stated as she shook her head, already knowing where Tony's proclamation was leading.

"Still trying to guess the passcode?"

"Actually, I think I have it figured out."

"Oh _really_?" Silver asked incredulously as Tony nodded his head. "Let's hear it then. What is it?"

"The passcode is _clearly_…" Tony typed in "Grover" to the holographic keyboard suddenly before him, the blonde beside him rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Not even close."

Tony shook his head as he sighed. "Don't think I'm giving up."

"Why would I?" Silver asked. "That would be too easy for me," she grumbled under her breath as she pulled her agenda out and flipped it open, the two simultaneously making their way to the elevator.

"Alright. Tomorrow morning you have to stop by to the New York Times and do that interview. After that you have to get ready for the benefit dinner with the mayor-"

"How long do you think it would take me to build a holographic replica of myself?" the playboy inquired as he stepped off the elevator, Silver shaking her head and quickly following after the man.  
"Tony, you're not skipping the interview or the benefit."

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of it," he stated wearily as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed himself his eighth cup of coffee; that would have to do as a replacement for scotch.

"After that you have the rest of the week off, so just try and get through this without making a scene," Silver said as she sighed, feeling the exhaustion seep in through her pores. Before Tony could throw a flippant comment at his assistant, his right hand knocked into the counter, causing a sharp pain to shoot up his arm, followed by an incessant throbbing.

"You need to start being more careful," Silver snapped as she set her agenda down and carefully grabbed Tony's burned hand, examining it and making sure that his injury hadn't grown worse. Tony merely shrugged as Silver let the man pull his hand away.

"Relax," he stated as he made his way over to the couch, Banner gone but Steve sitting happily, continuing with his historical documentary. "I'll be as good as new in no time."

Silver watched as Tony took a seat beside the Captain, the two greeting each other. She chuckled as Tony attempted to change the channel, Steve immediately rejecting the idea and holding the remote control hostage. She sighed and shook her head, smiling as she made her way back to the elevator.

It seemed he was already as good as new.


	7. The Ambush

So hi! Sorry it's been quite a while since I've updated. I was slightly stuck but finally I got over the hump and here it is. I hope you enjoy reading this and thanks to all who've been reading and reviewing! I'm thankful for the support! =) It keeps me going!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers or Iron Man franchise

* * *

It was a dark night. The stars shined brightly in the sky as the light from evening poured through the large window. The light was bright enough to scare away the shadows in the corners of the armory. In the center of the room was an enormous table with random miscellaneous items strewn everywhere. A chandelier hung above the table though it provided no light for the room.

The thick silence was broken by the sound of the door creaking open. A figure waltzed gracefully into the armory and walked to the far side of the room where a throne-like chair sat. The shadow knelt down before the chair and bowed its head, the person in the throne gazing down with a pompous sort of look.

"Sir, everything is prepared." The man in the throne looked over at the stars as he smirked and looked to his servant.

"Alert the men. The attack starts now."

* * *

The afternoon was calm as a lone woman walked from a bedroom towards the elevator against the far side of the wall. A light tune was hummed as heels of black platform heels clicked against the floor. The copper blonde held a small agenda in her arm as her free hand held her blackberry. She pressed the up button to the elevator and waited for a second before the doors slid open and a voice greeted her.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Livingston."  
"Hey there, JARVIS," Silver said with a smile as the doors slid closed and the elevator began to move.

"Where shall I drop you off?" the A.I. asked politely as Silver scrolled through the message in her cell phone.

"Tony's floor, please?"

"Right away, ma'am."

Silver waited for a moment before the doors slid open and gave her time to exit before they closed behind her. She glanced around the room and sighed as she found Tony's luggage sitting by the flat screen TV in his living space, though he was absent. She began to make her way to Tony's room as she heard her boss speak up.

"Before you go off on a tangent, I can explain," Tony called out from his room as Silver walked in and watched as her boss struggled with his tie, his button-up shirt untucked and his belt buckle hanging open. She gave the man a knowing look as he smiled at her cheekily. She shook her head as she approached Tony and swatted his hands away. The genius rolled his eyes as he moved to tuck his shirt into his pants and finish buckling his belt.

"So typical of you," Silver stated playfully as she straightened the man's red tie. She smiled proudly at her work before she looked up at Tony, the man quickly pulling his blazer on with a sigh.

"I was actually planning on being on time, but then-"

"You had an idea that just _couldn't _wait," Silver finished mockingly as Tony rolled his eyes, walking out of his room with his assistant following behind her.

"One-nothing, Porcelain." Silver frowned at the nickname but said nothing; there was no stopping the stubborn bastard.

"When's the next flight to Tokyo?" Tony asked as the two walked out of the bedroom, a smirk across Silver's lips.

"We're not late."

"What?" Tony blinked as he glanced at the digital clock on the wall. "What're you talking about, Livingston? Our flight was at noon and it's one."

"I _told _you the flight was at noon. It's actually at two," Silver explained with a proud smile on her face. "We're right on time!"

Tony blinked before he smirked and shrugged, grabbing his luggage and heading towards the elevator with his assistant beside him. "Well played."

The two were on their way to Mr. Stark's personal landing strip that accommodated his private jet. Tony was on his way to promoting his new trial arc reactor in Tokyo. Stark Industries landed a deal with an interested party and he and Silver were flying over so they could arrive for the ribbon cutting event.

"After we land we're heading straight to the hotel and then having dinner with Mr. Fuji," Silver stated as they stepped on to the elevator and began to head to the garage.

"Is there any room to squeeze in some sightseeing?" Tony asked childishly as Silver frowned and rolled her eyes.

"We're not going to Tokyo for vacation, Tony."

"But we _could _be," Tony argued as Silver opened her mouth to object. Her comment slipped away as the elevator suddenly jerked to a halt. The two stumbled slightly as they glanced at each other in confusion. Silver gripped tightly to the railing as she tried to keep calm; that had never happened before.

"Wh-What's going on?" Silver inquired as she glanced around the tiny car, the lights flickering off.

"JARVIS?" Tony called out as his A.I. spoke up.

"I'm afraid someone's trying to hack into the mainframe, sir," the embodied voice explained as Tony raised a brow.

"What about the security system?"

"It seems as though they are overriding the codes."

"Who the hell-"

"Sir, the intruders seem to be short-circuiting-I'm losing-" And then JARVIS had been lost.

Tony narrowed his eyes as he pulled out his tablet and glared as the screen lit up. He began to type fervently on to the screen. Silver took a slow breath through her nose as she slowly stepped forward and stood beside Tony. She peered over his shoulder and watched the man as he typed away. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, I'm going to have to turn JARVIS back on manually."

"How?" Tony held up his tablet as he continued typing away, rolling his eyes slightly.

"With this, obviously." Silver glared at the man; she hated his attitude sometimes.

The assistant watched silently as the man worked, pressing buttons on the screen. He kept his eyes glued to what he was doing as he watched the loading sign. He smirked as the elevator lights began to flicker back on, JARVIS coming back to life.

"Thank you, sir."

"Welcome back, J," Tony said as Silver looked over at the man.

"Someone's trying to break-in?" she asked as Tony glanced over at her. He noticed the fear developing in her eyes before he nodded.

"Looks like it."

Tony wasn't sure who or why anyone would attempt to break-in to the tower, _his_ tower for that matter, but he didn't give a damn. He was Iron Man, for Christ's sake. He wasn't sure whether to praise the intruder's for their bravery or scold them for their stupidity.

"JARVIS, I'm gonna need a head count."

"20 men, sir," the A.I. explained as Tony nodded. He turned to Silver as she looked up at the man. He could tell she was slightly anxious and he couldn't blame her. Whereas Tony was already accustomed to life-threatening situations, Silver was not. She had lived a generally normal and safe life, which meant she had never really been put in danger's way before.

There's always a first for everything though.

"Alright," Tony began, keeping his composure. "Take us to the lab. I need to get into my suit." Seeing as Tony had been planning on having a stress free business trip, he had been coaxed into keeping the suit in the lab.

"Sir, the intruders have split into four groups of five and have begun entering separate floors."

"Thanks, buddy," Tony stated as the elevator began to move again.

Silver gripped tightly to the metal railing as she began to breathe in and out deeply. She tried to remain calm as her heart started to race and she began to sweat. What was going to happen? Was she going to be ok? Was Tony going to be safe? What did the intruders want? Silver had no time to register her questions, her eyes wide and a fearful expression coming over her. She didn't notice Tony's gaze on her as she just continued to stare at her startled expression. It wasn't until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder that she finally realized she had fallen under some sort of trance.

"Breathe, Porcelain," Tony said with a smirk. "You've got no reason to be so worked up. You work for Iron Man, remember?" Silver's shoulders began to sag as a small smile appeared on her lips. She shook her head and became more herself as Tony watched her cautiously for a moment.

"Even when you're in trouble, you seem to have an irritating amount of confidence."

"You make that sound like a bad thing." Tony smirked and felt himself relax as Silver sighed and chuckled.

The elevator doors quickly slid open as Tony quickly stepped out and made his way to his workshop counter. Silver followed after him and glanced around. She took a few moments to truly examine his lab. It was spacious, a few sports cars being displayed around the room. His robots sat around randomly, beeping every so often and finally, Silver's eyes fell upon the suits. She slowly approached the six cased suits of armor and stared, enamored by the shine of Iron Man's armor. She placed her hand on the glass around the first case and bit her lip.

But the sight behind her had taken her breath away.

"Silver." Said assistant spun around but came to an abrupt halt as Tony stood before her, his Mark VII suit on save for his helmet. Silver blinked as Tony watched her approach him slowly. She stopped a few inches away as she stared at the light of his arc reactor. The genius watched her curiously as the 29-year-old stared at his life-support. He tensed slightly as he watched her carefully raise her hand up and place her finger tips on the glass of his reactor. It was almost like he could feel her fingers against him, then again, perhaps he could; the arc reactor had become a part of him years before.

Silver was hypnotized. She couldn't quite put into words how she was feeling. Seeing Tony as Iron Man was something else. She was anxious and enthralled all at once. The warmth against her fingers sent jolts through her arm, coursing through her entire body. It was almost like she was touching his soul. The arc reactor was his heart; it was a part of him. It was keeping him alive, keeping him breathing, keeping him around to make crude and obnoxious jokes. It kept him from closing his eyes permanently; at that moment, Silver realized just how fragile Tony really was.

And it terrified her.

Silver's green eyes slowly glided up and met Tony's gaze as his eyes softened. He quickly looked away, her piercing stare almost a bit overwhelming for him. He cleared his throat and motioned to his suit as he raised a curios brow at her. He smiled playfully as Silver smiled back to him slightly.

"What do you think?" he asked. He was curious as to what someone outside of Iron Man's circle thought of his suit.

"It compliments your figure _so well_," the copper blonde stated slyly as she smirked, Tony smirking back at her.

"Alright, here's the deal," Tony began. "You need to get a hold of Patchy, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent," he explained as Silver gave him a deadpanned sort of stare; Fury would be angry to hear that name.

"I'm going to take you up to the control room and you're staying there until the rest of the league of heroes gets here."

"What about you?" Silver inquired as Tony began pulling his face plate on.

"I'm dealing with the idiots upstairs."

Without warning, Tony's suit charged up and Silver's eyes widened with shock as he easily scooped her into his arms. She released a yelp as she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, chills running up her spine from the touch of his icy suit. She blinked a few times as Tony smirk at her.

"Ever flown before?"

"That has to be the dumbest question from you by far."

"You're in for a treat. JARVIS?"

"Right."

Tony's faceplate slid forward, his helmet now completely on. Silver blinked as she looked toward the window. Her eyes widened as she watched the glass slide up, granting them access to the sky. Her stomach got caught in her throat as her muscles tensed. She squeezed around Tony slightly more as the man began to hover over the floor.

"Prepare for lift off."

Silver wasn't sure when she started screaming. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn't even noticed her voice. The wind whipped past her and it was almost hard for her to breathe as she and Iron Man flew up toward the sky. It was refreshing though. She had never felt so alive in her entire life and as she held on to Tony, almost laughing as her fear dissipated into pure joy, she had realized that even through the stress of her job and the fear of living with a super hero, there was nowhere else she'd rather be.

She was flying for Christ's sake!

"Thanking for flying with Stark's Airline, hope you enjoyed the trip," Tony said as he carefully landed on the floor, Silver blinking a few times and taking a few breaths. She released a breathless chuckle as the billionaire gently helped his assistant to her feet. She turned to him and sighed, the adrenaline was disappearing and her dread returning. The man began to float in the air again as his thrusters went off. Silver took a few steps back as she watched her boss.

"Get a hold of Fury. Get him here as fast as you can!" Tony yelled over the roar of his thrusters. "You'll be safe here!"

"What about you!" Silver asked as Tony smirked from behind his helmet.

"I'm on the clock!" With that, the man zipped through the window, the glass sliding shut upon his departure. Silver frowned for a moment before she quickly approached the control room's computer system, glancing back at the oval shaped table in the middle of the room.

"Be careful, you moron."

* * *

"Sir, I've locked all access ways to the control room."

"Nice work, buddy."

Tony flew around his tower as he approached the top floor; his floor. "Alright, where are these bastards?"

"The first group has just approached Ms. Livingston's floor. The second is trying to gain access into the system through Mr. Banner's lab and the last two seem to be traveling through the elevator shaft in order to get into your personal lab." Tony blinked as he raised a brow, flying through his already broken window. The 35-year-old glanced around his now destroyed home and shook his head as he grumbled about having to refurnish his place. He carefully landed on the floor as his boots crushed the shards of glass into dust. He shook his head and quickly searched through his floor, confirming that nothing had been taken. He thought for a moment as he made his way toward the elevator.

Last time he had checked, he hadn't pissed anyone off…then again, he might have. The Avengers had grown since their first battle against the Chitauri, but something about this felt personal.

Walking up to the forced open elevator doors, Anthony stared down and shook his head before he dived and began flying smoothly through the shaft. He span in the air and dipped through the opened metal doors. He landed on the marble floor with a thud and he blinked as he caught sight of two men in black and ski masks standing at the mouth of the hallway. He rolled his eyes as he shook his head in disappointment.

"Is there _no_ originality in villain outfits anymore?" The two thieves stiffened as they looked up at Iron Man. He gave them a smug look, though it went unseen by the robbers, and he lifted his hand up, motioning for someone to attack him.

"Who wants some of this?"

With absolutely no trouble, the two men went down, Tony shaking his head, not noticing the three others coming out. He looked over and sighed as he turned and faced them. "You know, you're lucky my assistant's not here to see her room look like this." Within seconds, Tony had flown up to the man to his left and grabbed his arm, tossing him a few feet back and into the kitchen counter, knocking him on unconscious; the man to the right stood no chance.

After dealing with the last one, Tony initiated the thrusters in his hands and boots, zooming through and making his way down the elevator shaft. "JARVIS? Where am I heading?"

"Sir, the second group of men is still in Mr. Banner's lab."

"They're lucky Bruce isn't here to unleash the other guy." And to be quite frank, so was he.

Tony forced his way through the shut elevator doors and didn't waste a moment to check his surroundings. He flew himself into the man standing over Bruce's desk top, knocking him a few feet away and unconscious. He then landed and turned as he looked back at the four others standing around the room. Before he could make a snarky comment, the former playboy watched as the four surrounded him and then he took notice to the small pads on them men's fingers. He watched as they stuck their hands out towards him and his eyes widened as sparks began to light.

"Sir-" JARVIS had no time for warnings as Tony's suit began to short-circuit. His eyes widened as he found himself losing control of the suit and winced as he felt sharp jolts course through his body. He fell to a knee as he surges grew stronger and his body began to tremble from the pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the urge to curl up in a ball. His suit completely powered off and after a few more agonizing seconds, the pain disappeared and the shocks gone. He took a few minutes to gather himself as he looked up and glared at the four men watching him carefully without a word. He narrowed his eyes as he stood up, his suit still powered off.

"You asked for this." Without a warning, Tony swung his fist and punched the man to his left in the jaw. He watched as the man released a feral scream and flew into the wall, an imprint of his body left in the concrete. He then ducked, avoiding a failed attempt of an attack from the man behind him, and gave the attacker a right hook, the man crumpling over in pain. Standing tall, Tony looked back at the other two, the men shaking with fear. He marched hauntingly toward them and they immediately turned to avoid the man. He shook his head before he grabbed a man by the back of his collar. He effortlessly tossed the thief over his shoulder and into the ground, a groan filling the air.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tony asked dangerously as the last of the five sprinted toward the elevator. Tony blinked as his suit began to turn on, his A.I.'s voice echoing through his helmet.

"You have gained power back."

"Good to have you back, J," Tony said as he narrowed his eyes at the last man. His thrusters began to light up as he zoomed through the room and elbowed the man in the gut before he could leap down to his escape. The man yelped and immediately fell to the ground, no longer awake.

"Sir, I hate to interrupt, but it seems the last two groups have entered your lab."

"Got it," Tony said as he jumped up and began to soar through the elevator shaft. "What's happening?"

"I'm afraid they are attempting to wear your suits." Tony's eyes widened at that.

A line had just been crossed.

The rage inside of Tony bubbled inside of him as he made his way to his lab. His voice had been lost but he if had been able to speak, the things he would have said could have brought shame even to the humblest of people. He approached the lab in mere seconds and glided through the already opened door. He landed on the ground and froze as he watched six men trying to slip into his suit.

It felt wrong. Those suits belonged to him. As the arc reactor had become a part of him, so had the armor. He had spent hours on each of the individually, he had spilt blood with those suits, he had lost friends. Those random thieves had no right to even look at the suits, let alone wear them and use them. He hadn't spent most of his later life grueling over those suits so they could be stolen and used against him. They had changed him; they had brought people into his life that had changed him. As he watched his very first Mark suit light up and stare at him, his heart dropped and the flashbacks began. The nightmares returned for an instance and the voice of a friend he had never forgotten echoed through his ear.

_Don't waste your life._

"When I made these suits, they were a one size fit all type of thing," Tony finally said, his suits of armor powered on and ready to go. "So, what do you think? I know, they get a little tight around the thighs but they're pretty comfortable, right?" Tony's playful tone instantly disappeared as he took a dangerous step closer.

"I suggest you boys take those off before you hurt yourself."

"Sorry, Stark," the man in the Mark VI suit snapped. "You're not our boss."

"Suit yourself," he said, mumbling, "no pun intended," under his breath. He opened and closed his hands as he shook his head.

"Let's dance then."


	8. Iron Man vs Iron Men

_Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and fun night/day _=) _I wish you all the best of luck this year if you've made any resolutions or anything like that!_

_Yes, I'm FINALLY updating this story! Sorry it took so long to get out. I'm officially unstuck and now have a path of where I'm going. Plus, I have a bit more free time to get chapters out. The next one should be out soon! Thanks for all of the support with this story and for all of the reassuring words! I appreciate everyone for it! I hope you enjoy reading this!_

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or any of the characters associated with it

* * *

Silver paced back and forth as she bit at her nails. She frowned as she shook her head and stopped for a moment. "JARVIS?"

"Yes, Ms. Livingston?"

"How long before S.H.I.E.L.D. gets here?"

"I believe approximately 20 more minutes."

_20 minutes too long. _Silver released a deep breath as she quickly approached the larger computer at the front of the room. She typed a few keys and stared intently at the screen.

The young woman had called Fury and quickly relayed the situation to him. He was quick to react and guaranteed that he and his crew would arrive as soon as possible and deal with the situation; that brought little to no peace to Silver though. The video chat ended and soon Silver was alone, hoping for the best. The silence was eating away at her though. She couldn't help but fidget as she waited. She hadn't heard from Tony and she was beginning to worry.

Who was she kidding? She had been worrying about him from the start.

"JARVIS, give me a hand with this. I'm going to try and get in contact with Tony."

"Of course."

Silver worked for a few more seconds before her face lit up, Tony's face appearing on the screen. "Tony!"

"Livingston?" Tony inquired as he winced, his assistant frowning at that.

"Tony, what's going on? Are you-"

"Sorry, but I'm sort of in the middle of something," Tony quipped as Silver glared at him.

"What the hell-" Silver's eyes widened as an explosive sound from behind made her jump. She spun around and screamed as she used her arms as a shield from the debris flying at her. She stumbled back and looked up, a gigantic hole in the floor and two men in Iron Man suits wrestling with each other as they hovered above the gaping hole. Her jaw fell open as she gapped at the sight, the Mark VII looking over at her.

"Livingston? What're you doing in the lab?"

"T-Tony, this isn't the lab!" Silver snapped as a horrified expression fell over her face. Tony glanced around as he aimed his palm at the Mark V's face. A ball of energy burst through his hand and he watched as the man he attacked fell back through the hole they had created. Tony sighed as he winced; he could already feel the bruise forming on his side. He landed on the floor and his assistant rushed up to his side.

"Did you call Fury?"

"Yeah, he's coming. What the hell is going on?" Silver asked; what the hell were the thieves doing in Tony's suits?

Before the genius could explain the situation, his eyes widened as he felt a hand tug on his ankle, sending him to the floor and through the hole. "Tony!" Silver screamed as she watched the man disappear through the rabbit hole. She watched as Tony-at least she thought it was Tony-hit the ground, three other Mark suits lunging at him and attacking him with absolutely no mercy. He grunted inside the helmet as he did his best to get his bearings straight. He shook his head as he quickly rolled on to his stomach the best he could. He placed his palms on the floor and activated his thrusters, bursting up and causing the floor to crack. He smirked as he hovered in the air and watched the imposters stumble back, tumbling through the cracks of the ground and falling through the new hole. He frowned as he shook his head at that.

He was going to have to reconstruct all over again.

"Well, can't win 'em all," he stated to himself as he shook his head.

"Sir," JARVIS suddenly called out, interrupting the hero's train of thought. "It seems you have more company."

"Tony!" The man looked up at the sudden shout from Silver. "Watch out!" she yelled as Tony's gaze followed the direction that his assistant was pointing towards. His eyes widened as a burst of energy sent him spinning through the air and harshly into the ground, his suit screeching against the concrete of the floor as he slid against it. He groaned but didn't miss a second, rising to his feet and watching as the Mark II suit flew up through the hole to the control room. At the sound of Silver's scream, Iron Man's heart jumped from his chest and through his throat.

"Silver!" he yelled as he flew up and into the control room. He landed and quickly looked around, finding the young woman standing apprehensively against the wall, the second suit staring at her. She couldn't see his gaze through the face plate but she knew the look was menacing. She kept up her unafraid façade as she glared into the glowing eye slits, trying to will the fear away.

"Didn't your mommy teach you to never hit a lady?" Silver relaxed as she watched Tony grab the attacker by his shoulders and throw him across the room. "But I guess Porcelain's not much of a-"

"Time and place, Tony!" the assistant snapped as she glared at the hero, the man clearing his throat and smiling cheekily.

"Right."

The billionaire quickly reacted as the second suit flew towards him and aimed a punch at his face. He ducked and caught the man's fist with his hands and worked quickly to swing him around and into the control center's monitor. He winced at the sound of glass breaking and frowned as he shook his head. The shattered glass scattered to the floor as the thief in the Mark II tumbled to the ground and lied limply in the debris. Tony sighed as he winced, his side slightly aching and the taste of iron in his mouth from what he could only assume was his own blood.

Whoever the hell was responsible for this was going to pay for everything.

Literally.

Without warning, Tony felt a hand wrap around the back of his neck as he was shoved roughly into the wall in front of him, the concrete crumbling and the collision causing the genius to see double of everything. He groaned as he slid to the ground and crumpled over, a foot harshly kicking him into the almost demolished wall. He kept his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to regain his composure, the pain all catching up with him at that very moment. _Shit_, he snapped to himself as he carefully opened his eyes and looked up to see the Mark V staring down at him, the arc reactor shining brightly in the chest plate. He tried to stand to his feet and defend himself but it was almost becoming impossible for Tony to even breath, let alone move. He glared through the face plate as his enemy raised his palm up to the hero's face, a ball of energy glowing brightly and growing bigger.

"Get away from him!"

The man in the Mark V stumbled forward as his arm fell to his side. Tony blinked as he looked toward the owner of the voice. His brown eyes widened as he watched the copper blonde breathing heavily, the chair she had tossed at the intruder's back broken on the floor. She was glaring angrily at the man hovering over Tony as the man in the Mark V slowly turned to face the brave woman. "Whatever you want, you can't have it and you won't get it!" Silver snapped as Tony tried to stand up but winced, a jagged part of his suit digging into him. He coughed as he glanced up and watched as the man in his creation began marching towards the young woman. His eyes widened as the world around him began to turn gray, his ears becoming deaf to everything around him.

"Silver!" he shouted as he watched the thief fly towards the woman and tackle her, the assistant flying back and hitting the ground with a scream and a grunt. She lied motionlessly for a few seconds before she coughed and groaned, a bump forming on the back of her head and her clothes now slightly torn. She carefully began to sit up, though the world was spinning as she did. She had been so disoriented that she hadn't noticed the shadow now covering her. Tony growled as he moved to stand, only to hit the ground as the Mark V suit blasted him.

"Silver, get out of here!" Tony snapped loudly as he winced, feeling the metal of his suit piercing his side. He kept his teeth clenched together as he tried to contain the shout of pain that was begging to be released. He opened an eye and watched as Silver stumbled to her feet, backing up into the wall opposite of him.

"Little lady," the man said in the Mark V. "You should learn to pick and choose your battles," he said with a dark laugh as the blonde tried to look as angry as possible, though her expression was more worried than anything. She felt her breath get caught in the back of her throat as the man raised his palm to her face and it began to shine. Her body trembled as fear welled up inside of her, her breath and beating heart echoing in her ear. She squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for her demise, but what happened in the last few seconds surprised her.

A sturdy arm wrapped around Silver's waist as she felt it hold her tightly. She reflexively reached out and grabbed firmly to the body pressed against her as she hid her face into the stranger's rather firm chest. The sound of the Mark V's attack bouncing off something solid filled her ears as she felt someone force her to crouch slightly. Her eyes flew open as she looked and found herself staring at something red, white and blue. She was carefully sat on the ground as the shield that had protected her was swung around, hitting the imposter Iron Man and sending him to the side.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Better late than never, Cap," Tony called out after he took a moment to catch his breath; he had been sure he was going to have to replace yet another assistant. The Iron Man and Captain America exchanged glances as Steve shook his head and turned to kneel down beside Silver. His gaze softened as he stared at the shaking woman, her gaze filled with apprehension and shock.

"You're going to be ok, Silver." Said woman merely nodded as she sat on her knees, her body feeling weak and her head spinning. She looked over at Tony and sighed as the face plate slid up revealing the billionaire's trademark smirk. He chuckled as the woman shook her head, Steve standing and watching as more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents began to show up, helicopters hovering in the sky. Tony sighed; he'd never admit to anyone how glad he was that Fury had shown up when he had. His pride wouldn't let him.

"Hey, Tony?" Said man looked up as Silver shook her head. "I better be getting a raise."

* * *

The top four levels of the tower had been completely demolished. As Tony sat on one of the last remaining chairs in what was left of his control room he sighed and shook his head at the thought of reconstructing _again_. He merely rolled his eyes at the thought; the contractors must love him by now. The man's brown eyes began to flicker around the room and they softened as they watched the copper blonde standing with Fury.

"How're you doing, Stark?" Said billionaire looked up as he watched Captain America make his way over. His golden hair shined in the sun, the concerned look on Steve's face causing Tony to feel a _tiny _amount of guilt course through his veins.

"Never been better," Tony replied back as he glanced down at his topless form, bandages wrapped firmly around his torso. He stretched and winced, the gash in his side still far too new to move so freely. "Well, maybe I could be a little better."

"You took a few good blows. Try not to push yourself," Steve said with that tone of concern he always used with his teammates. Tony merely nodded his head at the Captain's wishes, not fully adjusted to the fact that he and the man in spandex had somehow reconciled and were now closer than he thought they'd ever be; oh, how times changed.

"You have any idea who wanted to take you out?" Captain America asked, that dutifully manner coming out more and more as they conversed with each other.

"Not really sure this time. Stark Industries hasn't had any issues with anyone and I personally haven-" Iron Man stopped for a moment to think before he smiled and nodded. "I personally haven't had any problems with anyone."

"Well someone is out to get you. This feels way too personal to be directed towards all of the Avengers," the leader of said group stated as Tony nodded. He frowned as he stared out the shattered windows and shook his head; the media was going to have a field day with this.

"Well, I told Fury all I know, which isn't much," Tony stated as Steve nodded in agreement; strange how much they were agreeing with each other right then.

"Hey…" Tony turned to fully face America's symbol, the blond raising a brow at the brunet before him. "…You really saved our asses back there-"

"That's what friends do, at least, that's what they tell me," Steve said with his award-winning smile. He reached out and gave Tony's shoulder a squeeze before he nodded and turned, making his way over to Agent Sitwell. Mr. Stark watched him for a second before he smirked and shook his head.

"How are you feeling?" The Iron Man turned and watched as a concerned assistant marched towards him, staring at his wrapped abdomen and frowning. "You're hurt."

"Trust me. This isn't even close to bad." Tony knew what bad was; all he had to do was think about Afghanistan.

"Still," Silver said with a frown as she shook her head. "I'm glad you're safe." Tony could say the same thing.

"You were pretty ballsy out there, Porcelain," the 35-year-old pointed out as the copper blond blinked. She chuckled as she shook her head and sighed.

"Are you kidding me? I was terrified out of my mind," she admitted as she ran her fingers through her knotted hair. She shook her head at the thought before she pulled her agenda out, her boss releasing a groan.

"Relax," the woman assured as she opened the tiny book and pulled a pen out. "Your trip to Tokyo has been rescheduled for after the construction, which will probably take a month or so," she explained as she crossed a few things out in her planner.

"Any sooner?"

"Any sooner will take a miracle."

"Hey, don't underestimate the power of Tony Stark." Silver rolled her eyes at that.

"Other than that, there's not much going on. I've already talked to Clint about the situation so now all we can do is just sit back and wait."

Tony thought for a moment before he shook his head and looked to his assistant. "There's one more thing."

"Wh-What?" the young woman asked, slightly shocked by the man's sudden change of behavior.

"I need you to set up a press conference for me."

"For what?"

"I have a score to settle," the brunet stated as he motioned to his destroyed room. Silver hesitated before she nodded, writing down the job in her notebook.

"I'll get that done for you as soon as possible."

"That's what I like to hear, Livingston," the man stated as he turned to the window, the sun setting behind the horizon. His eyes narrowed for a moment as his hand balled up into a fist.

This had clearly been just a teaser for Tony, and he had received the message loud and clear.


	9. Proclamation

Hi readers! Yes, I'm finally updating this story! Sorry for the incredibly long wait. I was at first busy with school and then I fell into a funk, but I recently just saw the Iron Man 3 movie, which was fantastic and those who haven't seen it should definitely try and watch it, and then I got this written. Hopefully I won't be getting pulled back into a funk any time soon. Thank you to those who have been reading this even though I've been M.I.A. I appreciate the kind words and the advice and the support and I'm super happy that everyone has enjoyed reading this so far!

Hope you like this chapter. I'll admit it's a bit slow but it's been put in due to the plot and where I'm taking it! So I hope you guys don't mind it and like it ^_^

* * *

"Tony, are you really going to keep me in the dark about this?"

"Trust me. I've got this under control."

"That's hard to believe."

It had been several days since the attack on the Avengers tower. It was the soonest Silver could set up a press conference with such short notice. Then again, Tony Stark _did _usually get his way; she should have known better than to question him. Though she had prepared everything for the meeting itself, the young woman was still clueless about what her boss even wanted to tell the media. Fury had specifically stated to try and avoid riling the peanut gallery up. The last thing Tony needed was the media to start rumors and worry the people of the country. As it was, the higher ups were still iffy on the Avengers Initiative and this little mess wasn't going to help.

The two stood in an empty office, Tony smoothing his blazer out as Silver frowned at him. He hadn't mentioned why he wanted her to set up the press conference and it was strange that he wouldn't tell her. Her nerves were beginning to get the best of her and although her boss kept insisting he had everything under control, it was hard to believe; it was Tony she was talking to, after all.

The young woman watched intently as the billionaire turned to her and smiled audaciously at her. "How do I look?"

"Well, I have to admit. You clean up nicely," Silver said with a smirk as Tony smirked back at her. He took a deep breath and nodded as he turned to look at himself in the mirror that hung on the wall. He noticed Silver's anxious expression in the reflection and rolled his eyes as he turned back to her with a knowing look.

"You worry too much."

"You don't ever seem to worry enough," the assistant argued as Tony smirked and shrugged.

"That's my M.O."

"You're ridiculous."

"That's no way to talk to your boss, Porcelain."

"You're ridiculous, _sir_." Silver smirked as the genius before her chuckled and smirked back at her before placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He watched her carefully before he smiled slightly and nodded.

"Don't worry about a thing, Livingston. I've got this under control. Really."

"…If you say so," Silver said, finally relenting and letting Tony take the wheel; whatever was about to happen was going to happen no matter what. There was no point in fighting it.

"Alright then!" Tony said as he clapped his hands together. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

It had been quite some time since Mr. Anthony Stark had stood before the press. Since the Avengers had assembled, it had been Steve who handled most of these types of situations. He was more of a people person and he had a way of talking to the crowd without creating more chaos—hey! What could Tony say? It was a natural talent of his.

As the 35-year-old approached the podium, the news reporters all shouting out their questions to him, Tony found himself wondering what the point of what he was about to do was. There was a lot on his mind and after dreaming about the attack the night before, he was a bit unsure if he wanted to go through with this. Strangely enough, even though Tony was always such a headstrong and stubborn person, there were times where even he felt apprehension; he was human after all. No amount of Iron could change that. But as he looked out to the crowd his gaze finally fell upon his blonde assistant. His eyes softened as she smirked up at him and nodded, and that was when Tony found the strength to continue.

He was making this speech—not for himself, but for the people he cared about.

"I know you've all heard about the accident up at the tower," Tony began as everyone fell silent for a moment. "It was a simple training exercise that went wrong. That's what we had claimed."

"Tony…what are you doing?" Silver whispered as she blinked and glanced around the room, her nerves and anxiety beginning to rise once more.

"I'm here today to tell you that was a lie." Uproar filled the silence as people screamed out their questions, Tony letting them have a moment to themselves. He watched as they all began scribbling notes, holding out their recorders to him, yelling for their unanswered questions to be answered.

Tony would do his best.

"What happened at the Avengers Tower was no accident. It was an attack…it was a message. And I'm here to say that to whoever sent it I've received it loud and clear." The conference quieted down as Tony stared into the camera lenses, a stoic look on his face.

"And here's my message to you, buddy. I'm not afraid of a guy who has to hide behind a misfit crew of wanna-be-bad-guys. Yes, they did use my suits, but guess what? They still failed to take me down, and the reason why?" Everyone listened carefully as Tony glanced to Silver. He stared for a moment as the blonde stared at him with a concerned and curious gaze put together.

"…Because there's only one Iron Man, and that's me." Without another word, Tony turned and made his way off the stage, the crowd going wild and screaming for his attention. He ignored their voices as he merely smirked at the flashing lights, his assistant watching from a distance and sighing; she'd have a full plate for quite some time.

* * *

"Well, wish you could have given me some sort of heads up!"

"Where would the fun be in that?"

Tony and Silver marched side-by-side before they took refuge in the office space that had been specifically saved for them. The genius superhero took a seat at the table before him as Silver glared at the man, locking the door behind herself. She sighed as she relaxed for a moment before she turned her full attention to her boss. He glanced back at her before he raised a brow at her less-than-pleased expression.

"You act like I've just killed your dog."

"I hate dogs."

"You know, I still don't know what your favorite animal is."

"Stop trying to change the subject, Tony!"

"Look, Livingston," the Iron Man began. "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about? You just gave some psychotic freak a free invitation to come at you again!" the blonde argued as she ran her hand through her locks of hair.

"But this time I'll be expecting it." Tony's expression hardened as he stared out the window of the office; next time he'd be ready. Noticing the sudden change in the air, Silver glanced at Tony's face and her own expression softened. She relaxed and let her shoulders sag. She was mostly afraid for her safety; since becoming the billionaire's assistant, Silver felt as though her life was now no longer in her hands. Then again, Tony had saved her once, he could do it again.

Right?

"…I suppose you're right about that." Tony blinked, surprised Silver complied so easily to what he just did. He watched as the young woman approached his side and stared out the window beside him. She glanced up at him and narrowed her eyes. "No one would be stupid enough to attack Iron Man when he's expecting it."

"Exactly," Tony said, pleased with himself. His assistant rolled her eyes at his self-confident smirk before she shook her head and sighed.

"Alright, genius. Now we have to make it through the swarm of reporters and get to the car."

"Sounds easy enough."

"We'll see about that." Silver shook her head as she opened the door and began shoving her way through the crowd, Tony following after her and soaking up the flashes from the cameras and smiling at the curious and excited media.

* * *

"_There's only one Iron Man, and that's me._"

"Is that right, Tony?"

A man stood in the shadows of a room, the only light coming from the television screen that hung on the wall. The broad figure stood before the screen and watched as Mr. Stark smirked at the camera. He listened to the way the people screamed his name and reached out for him, just like he was like a star that was up in the night sky. The man smirked to himself as he turned and marched to the window, looking up at the yellow diamonds in the sky. He locked his hands behind his back and stared out at the night.

Yes, Tony was just like a star. He shined through the darkest of nights and guided the lost to safety.

But just like a star, he would burn out and die.


End file.
